SERMON: THE HARROWING OF HELL -- AfterLife Sermon Series Part 3

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 23

 

Luke 23:39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

 

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

 

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

 

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

 

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing our sermon series called “Afterlife,” a journey through what the Bible has to say about what happens to us after we die -- about heaven, hell, and everything in-between

-- in our first message, we discussed how humans are tripartite beings -- creations with three parts -- body, soul, and spirit -- and how the Bible teaches that when we die, we immediately go into the presence of God -- not as incorporeal spirits without a body -- but as souls and spirits in a new heavenly body

-- last week, we looked at what happened to people before the cross -- before the death and resurrection of Jesus -- where did they go when they died?

-- and we looked at how the Bible teaches that the people who lived and died before the cross and resurrection of Jesus all went to Sheol/Hades -- those who believed in God and put their faith in the coming Messiah, were sent to Abraham’s bosom or Paradise -- the rest were sent to the part of Sheol/Hades that was the place of torment

-- and finally, we talked about those people in our day who die apart from Christ -- who die in their sins because they have not received Him as their Lord and Savior -- and how when they die, they also go to the place of torment in Sheol/Hades, just like the unbelievers who died before the first advent of Jesus

-- we ended last week with the question, “What about the people who were believers in Christ before His coming? -- those people from the Old Testament times who believed and died and were sent to the region of Sheol/Hades known as Abraham’s Bosom or paradise”

-- we know that believers in our day are taken to be in the presence of the Lord at the very moment of death -- but where are the believers who lived before Christ? -- are they still in Abraham’s Bosom in Sheol/Hades?

-- and that is what we are going to address this morning

 

II.  Where was Jesus?

            -- I want to begin by looking at the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection from the Gospel of Luke -- look back at Luke 23:39-46

 

Luke 23:39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

 

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

 

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

 

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

 

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

 

            -- so, this is the familiar story from Luke of the death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary -- Luke tells us that Jesus died on Good Friday at the ninth hour -- that would be around 3:00 pm

            -- Jews in Jesus’ day marked the start and beginning of their days differently than we do -- for us, a new day starts and ends at midnight -- 12:00 am -- but for the Jews, their day started and ended at 6:00 pm -- but they regarded the “first hour” as 6:00 am, which was the start of the work day

-- so, as Luke says here, Jesus was on the cross on the afternoon of Good Friday -- he tells us that at the sixth hour, darkness came over the land because the sun quit shining -- six hours beginning at 6:00 am gives us 12:00 noon as the time the darkness started -- and then Jesus died at the ninth hour, which would have been 3:00 pm

-- and this is important, because we read in the gospels that the Jews did not want Jesus and the two thieves to be left on the cross on the Sabbath, which began at 6:00 pm -- so, Pilate sent his soldiers to hasten the death of those on the cross -- they broke the legs of the thieves so they would die quicker, but they found Jesus was already dead, as confirmed by piercing His side and watching as blood and water poured out

-- Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took Jesus’ body and rushed to get Him buried before the start of the Sabbath -- they placed His body in a tomb in the garden, but didn’t have time to properly anoint it with the traditional spices

-- skip down to verse 55

 

Luke 23:55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

 

-- the women saw where Jesus’ body was laid, and then went home to prepare the spices to finish the burial process -- of course, they couldn’t do that on the Sabbath, so they stayed at home until the Sabbath had ended

-- Luke 24:1-8

 

Luke 24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

 

-- so, everybody here is familiar with this story, right? -- very early on the first day of the week -- on Sunday morning -- the women went to the tomb and found the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus missing -- and they were greeted by angels who told them that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as He had proclaimed

-- now, here’s the question -- Jesus died on Friday and was buried before the Sabbath -- the Bible tells us that He was resurrected on Sunday, which is why we recognize today as the Lord’s Day -- but where was Jesus on Saturday? -- from the time that He died until He was resurrected on Sunday? -- what was He doing?

 

-- we know that He had not gone to be in the presence of the Father -- in John 20, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene in the garden where His body was buried -- and He tells her in verse 17, “Do not hold on to Me, for I have not yet returned to the Father” -- in other words, Jesus had not ascended to Heaven -- He had not gone to be in the presence of God the Father yet

-- so, where was He?

            -- here’s where things get interesting

 

            -- turn over to Ephesians 4:9-10

 

 

Ephesians 4:9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

 

            -- so, we learn here that Jesus descended to the lower earthly regions or, as some other translations say, to the depths of the earth

-- Paul is not referring to Jesus’ Advent -- His laying aside of His deity and His descent to earth as the God-Man -- as the baby born in the manger who died on the cross -- if that were the case, Paul would have said, Jesus descended to earth

-- but that’s not what we read here -- it says that Jesus descended to the lower, earthly regions or to the depths of the earth -- what does that mean?

-- remember what we’ve been talking about over the last couple of weeks -- before the resurrection of Jesus, what happened to somebody when they died? -- they went to Sheol/Hades, right?

-- now Jesus came to live as one of us -- to fulfill the Law by living a truly holy and righteous life through the power of the Spirit -- He was born in a manger, just like any other human baby -- He grew up just like any other human child -- He matured and became a man, just like all the other Jewish men around Him -- and then, at the age of 30, He began His ministry on earth that culminated in His sacrifice on the cross

-- the Bible tells us that He was like us in every way, except that He remained sinless -- so, He was born like us -- He grew up and matured like us -- and He died like us

-- and what happens to those who died in Jesus’ day? -- they went to Sheol/Hades

-- what happened to Jesus’ soul and divine Spirit when He died on Good Friday? -- He went to Sheol/Hades, just like everyone else so that He could experience fully what everyone up until that point had to experience

-- that’s why He told the thief on the cross in Luke 23:43, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” -- last week, we talked about how Jesus was referring to the place of joy and pleasure within Sheol/Hades when He referred to Paradise in this verse

 

-- so, where was Jesus on Saturday -- in between the cross and the resurrection?

-- Good Friday -- Jesus died and went to Sheol/Hades like all other people before Him

-- and on Saturday, Christ’s physical body rested in the tomb, while His soul and divinity rested in Sheol/Hades

            -- that’s what we read here in Ephesians 4 -- in verse 9, it says that Jesus descended to the lower, earthly regions -- to the depths of the earth -- in other words, Jesus was in Sheol/Hades from the time He died until the resurrection on Sunday morning

 

II.  Jesus’ Ministry in Sheol/Hades

            -- so, Jesus went to Sheol/Hades, just like everyone else who died from the beginning of time up until that point -- but this is Jesus we’re talking about -- yes, He was born and lived and died as a man, but Jesus was not just a Man -- He was the God-Man -- fully Man and fully God

-- so, when Jesus got to Sheol/Hades, He didn’t passively take up residence like everyone else before Him -- His ministry was not over -- His purpose was not fulfilled -- yes, Jesus went to Sheol/Hades just like everybody else, but He came with a purpose -- He came with a mission

-- He came as the Redeemer -- as the One who paid the penalty for sin on the cross of Calvary -- as the One who paid the price of sin for every single person who was in Sheol/Hades

 

-- so, what did Jesus do while He was in Sheol/Hades? -- two things

-- for the first one, hold your place right here but turn over to 1 Peter 3:18-20a

 

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20a to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built

 

 -- skip down to 4:6

 

1 Peter 4:6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

 

-- the first thing Jesus did when He reached Sheol/Hades was to preach to the souls in prison or captivity -- better translation would be to proclaim Himself to the souls in captivity -- to the souls who were confined to Sheol/Hades

-- why does Peter call this “prison” or “captivity?” -- because the people were confined to Sheol/Hades -- they were captives there -- even those who were in  Abraham’s Bosom or Paradise were locked up in there and could not leave -- as we read in the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Abraham said there was a chasm there that separated Paradise from the place of torment, and no one could go from one side to the other -- so, in a very real sense, everyone in Sheol/Hades was in captivity -- you couldn’t go from one side of Sheol/Hades to the other -- and you couldn’t leave Sheol/Hades -- you were locked in

-- so, Peter tells us that Jesus went and preached to the spirits who were there in Sheol/Hades -- now remember, there are two distinct groups in Sheol/Hades -- there are those who are in Paradise and those in the place of torment

-- Jesus’ overall message to both of them was the same -- I am the One that was promised from before the beginning of time -- I am the Messiah -- the Anointed One -- the Redeemer -- the One who has paid the penalty on the cross of Calvary for the sins that you committed

 

-- for those who were in the place of torment, Jesus’ message was that He was the One they had rejected -- He was the One that they had turned away from and refused to put their faith and trust in -- He was the One they had disobeyed when they refused to follow the Law of God

-- therefore, they were still in their sins, and would be judged accordingly

 

-- for those who were in Paradise -- in Abraham’s Bosom -- Jesus’ message was that He was the One they had been waiting on -- their faith had become sight -- their hopes were realized -- and the penalty for their sins had been paid -- they were forgiven

-- as Irenaeus of Lyons, one of the early church fathers wrote, “It was for this reason, too, that the Lord descended into the regions beneath the earth, preaching His Advent there also, and [declaring] the remission of sins received by those who believe in Him.”

-- through His very own body and blood, Jesus had suffered and paid the price that they owed -- and they were now judged righteous in the sight of God -- not because of anything they had done -- but because Jesus had died in their place and paid the penalty

 

-- that was the message that Jesus preached to the spirits who were in prison -- in captivity in Sheol/Hades -- that was the first thing Jesus did in Sheol/Hades

 

-- the second thing Jesus did was to shatter the very gates of Sheol/Hades -- look back at Ephesians 4:8

 

Ephesians 4:8 This is why it says:

 

“When he ascended on high,

    he took many captives

    and gave gifts to his people.”

 

Ephesians 4:9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

 

-- after showing Himself to the inhabitants of Paradise as the long-awaited Messiah -- as the One who would redeem them of their sins -- Jesus shattered the gates in preparation for a grand exit -- and after the resurrection -- when Jesus ascended to heaven on Easter Sunday -- we read here that He led captives in His train -- that He gave gifts to men -- the gifts were the forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with the Father, and eternal life with God

-- in the Gospel of Matthew, in Chapter 16:16-20, when Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God -- the Messiah -- Jesus said, “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it”

-- in other words, “on this message -- on this proclamation -- on this truth that I am the promised Messiah -- I will build My Church -- and the gates of Hades will not overcome it -- they will be opened -- they will be shattered”

-- Jesus was announcing that He would go to Sheol/Hades and open the gates so that the captives might be freed -- so that all those who believed in Him would ascend with Him to heaven to be with God forever

 

-- this teaching of Jesus emptying the Abraham’s Bosom or Paradise side of Sheol/Hades is known in the church as the Harrowing of Hell -- more accurately called “The Harrowing of Hades”

-- to harrow means to cause distress to something -- to disturb it -- to destroy it -- and the term, “The Harrowing of Hades,” literally means that Jesus disturbed and destroyed Hades -- not all of it -- just the side we call Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom

-- this side no longer exists -- it has been harrowed -- it has been destroyed -- and all the captives that were in there -- from Adam and Eve all the way up to the thief on the cross -- were carried in Jesus’ train to heaven when He ascended to be with the Father

            -- Hades could not contain Christ because death could not hold back God’s power and life

-- through His death and resurrection, Christ destroyed both sin and death -- He shattered the very gates of Hell and freed us from its power forever -- and when He ascended to heaven, He carried the church with Him

 

IV.  Closing

            -- as I was preparing this message, I had spent some time pondering and studying these passages and praying to God to give me His word -- to open my eyes to His truth

            -- and after that prayer, I woke with the words of a song reverberating in my ears -- it’s the Mercy Me song, “And Then Christ Came” -- let me share with you a few of the lyrics from that song:

 

Like a soldier with no armor

In the middle of the battle

I was broken

I was broken

 

It was only getting darker

In the valley of the shadow

I was hopeless

I was hopeless

 

I never thought that I would ever see the day

When every single chain would break

Or hear the voice of Heaven call my name

 

Then Christ came

Changing everything

He took my sin and shame away

 

Now every song

I sing will be for Him

Ever since the moment He walked in

Then Christ came

 

-- think about what it must have been like for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob -- for David and Adam and Eve and all those Old Testament saints -- they were living in a place of Paradise -- they were in Abraham’s Bosom -- but they were still trapped in that place and their hopes were still not realized -- they still had not seen the promised Messiah they had waited for for so long

-- but then Christ came -- in the fullness of time -- in the moment that God had ordained so long ago -- Christ came into Sheol/Hades and proclaimed the victory -- He had overcome the enemies of sin and death -- He had overcome the power of satan and the evil forces in the heavenly realm -- He had overcome our original sin nature and the results of the fall

-- and He shattered the very gates of Hell and He looked back over His shoulder and said, “Come, follow Me” -- and He led the captives out and freed them for all eternity

 

            -- when Christ comes, that is what He does -- when Christ comes, the chains of sin and death fall -- the consequences and the sufferings of this life fade away -- and we are ushered into His presence forever

            -- oh, what a glorious day it was in Sheol/Hades when Christ came to change everything -- to take their sin and shame away -- and to bring them with Him to heaven

 

            -- so, where are the Old Testament saints today? -- the people who died looking forward to the coming of Jesus? -- all of those who were in Abraham’s Bosom in Sheol/Hades?

            -- they are in heaven with Jesus at this very moment -- all because Christ came

            -- let us pray

SERMON: SHEOL AND HADES -- The AfterLife Sermon Series, Part 2

 

AfterLife Sermon Series -- Part 2

Naylor Community Christian Church

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 16:19-31

 

Luke 16:19-31

New International Version

 

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 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 set in place, 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 family, 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.’”

 

-- one day, Dorothy, a kindergartner, was riding through town with her mother and noticed some poles sticking up from the ground -- she asked her mother, “Is that how people in hell breathe?" --Surprised by her daughter's question, the mother answered, "I don't think so honey. Why do you ask?"

            -- “Because I’m worried about hell -- do you believe in hell?” -- "Yes, honey, I do," her mother replied. -- "Does everyone believe in hell?" Dorothy inquired. -- "No." her mother said. “Where did you hear about it?”

            -- “From my teacher -- she talks about it every day” -- Curious as to why her daughter's teacher would talk about hell so much -- and especially to a group of kindergartners -- she asked, "What does your teacher say about hell?" -- Dorothy raised her arms and imitated her teacher, saying, "Every morning she says, 'In-hell [inhale], ex-hell [exhale]. In-hell, ex-hell.'"

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our new sermon series called “Afterlife,” a journey through what the Bible has to say about what happens to us after we die -- about heaven, hell, and everything in-between -- and whether our final resting spot will be in hell or ex-hell

            -- this is a progressive study and each week builds on the last -- the messages stand alone, but it really helps to know what we talked about last week, so that you can see how everything stands together

-- so, if you miss a week, make sure and go back and either watch the sermon on our Facebook page or read the transcript on my blogsite -- http://onlyimagine.blogspot.com

 

            -- last week, we talked about how humans were unique creations of God -- the only creatures that the Bible says were created in the image of God and the only creatures that God breathed His very presence into at creation

            -- we talked about how that made us tripartite beings -- creations with three parts -- body, soul, and spirit -- with our body being our physical, mortal part -- our soul being the part of us that defines who we are -- our consciousness -- our personality -- our intellect -- our emotions -- our will -- and how our spirit is our immortal part -- the part of us that engages with God and that is capable of a continuing relationship with Him through all eternity

            -- we talked about when we die as Christians, how the Bible teaches that we immediately go into the presence of God -- not as incorporeal spirits without a body -- but as souls and spirits in a new heavenly body

            -- and we also talked about how there is no intermediate stage for Christians -- about the fact that when we die, we are in the presence of God -- there is no purgatory -- no soul sleep -- no reincarnation -- no annihilation -- as the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “to be absent from the body is to be with the Lord”

            -- this is what happens to Christians on this side of the cross

 

            -- but our message last week left us with questions -- what about people who are not Christians? -- where do they go when they die? -- and what about people in the Old Testament who died before the coming of Jesus -- before His death on the cross? -- where did they go when they died and where are they now?

            -- that is what we’re going to talk about today

 

II.  The Abode of the Dead (Luke 16:19-31)

            -- if you would, look again with me here at Luke 16, starting at verse 19

 

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.

 

            -- in these verses, we are introduced to a story from Jesus about two people -- a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day and a poor beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at the rich man’s gate to beg for his very survival

            -- now you need to know that this passage is very controversial -- there are some who say that this account of the rich man and Lazarus is a parable -- parables are not true -- they are stories that are told to make a point -- in the case of parables in the Bible, they are given to make a spiritual point

            -- Jesus was known for telling such stories -- for instance, in the gospels, we read about the parable of the Sower -- the parable of the lost sheep -- the parable of the mustard seed -- and the parable of the good Samaritan

            -- so, a lot of people say that this story from Luke 16 is just another one of Jesus’ parables -- and that you shouldn’t take anything more from it than the one main point that Jesus is trying to make -- namely, that wealth and power on earth does not mean that you are blessed by God and will receive eternal life with Him -- this was a common teaching and understanding among the Pharisees -- and one that is still pretty common in our day

            -- in other words, if you are in a good relationship with God, He will bless you -- and the evidence of His blessing is wealth and health and a good life here on earth -- and, conversely, if you are not in good standing with God, He will withhold His blessing from you -- and so, the ones that are doomed to an eternity apart from God are like the poor beggar in this story -- poor, homeless, and in poor health -- so, basically, the Pharisees believed that our condition on earth is reflective of our relationship with God and our eternal destination

            -- and in this parable, as we will see, Jesus up-ends their belief by having Lazarus receive blessings in eternity while the rich man receives punishment -- which would have been a shock to the Pharisees that heard Jesus give this story

            -- that’s the point of the parable, these people say -- that you can’t earn your way to heaven -- and that’s the reason Jesus made up this story

 

            -- that spiritual point is valid -- there is a spiritual truth given there -- everyone agrees with that -- but there some of us who say that this is more than just a parable -- more than just a made-up story that Jesus gave to illustrate that wealth is not indicative of God’s favor and that you can’t earn your way to heaven

            -- I believe, along with many others, that this is not a parable -- it is not a made-up story -- but it is a true story from Jesus that gives us a glimpse of what happens when we die

            -- and part of the reason I believe this is because this is the only story in the Bible like this where Jesus uses someone’s name -- in all the other parables that Jesus tells in the gospels -- the parable of the Sower -- the parable of the good Samaritan -- the parable of the man seeking treasure in a field -- in none of them, does Jesus give a person’s name -- it would be out of character and out of His normal practice for Jesus to do so here -- knowing the name of Lazarus adds nothing to the spiritual point that He is making -- so, why add it?

            -- I contend that He adds it because this is not just a parable -- it is a true story about two real men and the fate that they suffered after death

            -- and, in that case, it is notable that the rich man is not named because, as we will see, the rich man did not know God -- and was not known by God -- and therefore was not named by God -- he was nameless before God because he entered eternity separated from God

            -- it’s like the situation in Matthew 7:21-23, where people were trying to justify themselves based on their works -- “did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name” -- to which Jesus replied, “I never knew you -- depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness” -- in other words, I don’t know you -- you are nameless to Me -- just like the rich man here in this story

           

            -- let’s move on to the part I really want us to concentrate on -- verse 22

 

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 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 set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

 

            -- here’s where we get into it -- here’s where we get the answers to what happened to people when they died before Jesus came -- where did people go in the Old Testament days before the cross?

            -- we read here that Lazarus and the rich man both died -- a reminder of our mortal fate -- unless Christ comes first and we are raptured to be with Him, all of us in here will walk the same road as Lazarus and the rich man -- we will all die

            -- now, Lazarus and the rich man died before Jesus went to the cross -- and that is significant

            -- Scripture teaches -- all the way back to the beginning of the Old Testament -- that when people died, they were sent to a temporary holding place called Sheol in Hebrew -- Sheol was the realm of the dead -- the place where people were sent to await their judgment by God

            -- this was true whether you were a believer in the coming Messiah or whether you were an unbeliever -- an unbelieving Jew or Gentile -- when you died, you were sent to Sheol

            -- now, this is not purgatory, like the Catholics teach -- this is not a place between heaven and hell where we work out our salvation or pay amends for sins in our lives -- Sheol is a holding place for people who died before Christ came

            -- in our English translations of the Bible, we see Sheol referred to in various ways, usually either as death or the grave

            -- for instance, Psalm 89:48 says, “Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave?” -- “the power of Sheol?”

            -- Genesis 37:35 -- “All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.  “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave” -- “in Sheol”

-- Psalm 30:3 -- “You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead” -- “you brought me up from Sheol”

-- Sheol is used 65 times in the Old Testament to describe the realm of the dead or death

-- so, when someone in the Old Testament days died, they went to Sheol

 

-- the Greek word for this is Hades -- same concept as Sheol -- a temporary holding place for people who died before Christ came -- it’s used 11 times in the New Testament, including here in this passage -- in verse 23, it says, “In Hades, where he was in torment”

-- that also reminds us that sometimes, Hades is used with a negative connotation -- as a place of punishment -- that’s why we tend to think of Hades and Hell as being synonymous -- but they’re not -- and when you read in your English translations the word “Hell,” you need to find out if it is referring to Hades or to Hell, because they are different places altogether

 

-- so, getting back to this story of the rich man and Lazarus -- both of them died -- both of them went to Sheol or Hades -- both of them were sent to this temporary holding place -- the realm of the dead

-- and while we always think of this as being a place below the ground, that idea is not biblical -- I think we have that idea because we bury people below the ground and the ancients assumed that their resting place -- Sheol -- also had to be below the ground

-- this was certainly reinforced through literature, such as Dante’s Inferno and other medieval portrayals of life after death -- they always describe the realm of the dead as being below the earth

-- it does say here in verse 23, that the rich man looked up and saw Abraham with Lazarus by his side -- but that doesn’t necessarily mean below the ground -- it’s just positional for the people who are in Sheol -- it doesn’t mean they’re below our feet right now

-- we don’t know where this realm actually exists -- whether it’s hidden from us in a spiritual dimension or where it is -- the important thing is to know that there is a temporary holding place called Sheol/Hades where everybody who died before the coming of Christ -- who died before the cross and the resurrection -- went -- they all went to Sheol or Hades -- that means everybody, including Adam and Eve, all the way up to the thief on the cross -- if you died before Christ came and was resurrected, you were sent to Sheol/Hades -- everybody with me?

 

-- now, notice here in these verses that two different places are referenced -- Abraham’s side or bosom -- and a place of torment, called Hell here in verse 23, but keep in mind what we just talked about in regards to the term Hell -- more to come on that later

-- so, Sheol/Hades is separated into two separate areas -- a place of pleasure and happiness -- and a place of torment and punishment

-- the area of pleasure and happiness is known by two terms in the Bible -- Abraham’s side or bosom -- and paradise -- they both mean the same thing -- they both refer to the side of Sheol/Hades that is a place of pleasure and happiness

-- the other area is generally referred to as Hades or Hell -- and even though I made the point that Hades refers to the entire realm of the dead, when you see it translated as Hell in your Bibles, they are basing that on a negative connotation -- so, it’s not really Hell -- it’s Hell-like -- but there’s not a specific name for it in the Greek, so the translators default to the term Hell to show it’s a bad place to be

-- this part of Sheol/Hades is the place that is described in the New Testament as the darkness -- as the place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth -- it is a place of torment and punishment

 

-- so, who goes where? -- everyone who died before the coming of Christ went to Sheol/Hades -- some went to Abraham’s bosom or paradise -- the rest went to the place of torment with darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth -- so, who went where?

            -- your destination was based on your faith and belief in the Messiah -- if you were a believer in God -- if you were standing on His promise that was given to Adam and Eve and to Abraham and then to the nation of Israel of a redeemer who was coming -- of the Messiah -- of the Anointed One who would take away the sins of the earth by paying the penalty for those sins on behalf of those who received Him -- if you believed in the coming Messiah and put your faith in Him to save you of your sins, then you were sent to Paradise or Abraham’s bosom

-- just like Lazarus in this passage -- just like the thief on the cross who turned to Jesus in repentance and asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom -- that’s why Jesus replied to that thief, and not the other, “Today you will be in Paradise with Me”

-- your faith in the coming Messiah -- in the promises of God -- were what determined if you went to Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom or not

-- for those people who did not believe in God or who rejected Him or His promised Messiah, they were sent to the other side of Sheol/Hades -- they were sent to the place of torment -- just like the rich man in this story

-- and that was the warning Jesus was trying to make to the Pharisees when He told them the story of the rich man and Lazarus -- that they could not save themselves -- that they could not redeem themselves from the grave and from the consequences of their sin through their works, their wealth, by following the Law, or anything else -- they could only be redeemed through faith in the saving work of the Messiah -- and here Jesus was pointing to Himself and what was going to happen on the cross and with the resurrection

-- when the rich man begs Abraham to send a messenger to his brothers to warn them of their fate if they didn’t change their lives and put their faith in the Messiah, Abraham said in verse 31, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets” -- in other words, the Old Testament Law and Prophets -- “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced, even if someone rises from the dead” -- referring implicitly here to Jesus and His coming resurrection which proved He was the Messiah and had defeated sin and death

-- so, to sum all this up -- for the people who lived before the cross and resurrection of Jesus, they all went to Sheol/Hades -- those who believed in God and put their faith in the coming Messiah, were sent to Abraham’s bosom or Paradise -- the rest were sent to the part of Sheol/Hades that was the place of torment

-- and these two areas were separated by a great chasm -- it says in verse 26 that there is a great chasm fixed between those in Abraham’s Bosom and those in the place of torment -- and that people cannot cross from one area to the other, even if they wanted to

-- they are separated for all eternity by their faith

-- everybody got it? -- you understand Sheol/Hades and Abraham’s Bosom and the place of torment, right? -- if not, get with me after the message and I’ll be happy to talk with you more about it

 

-- so, that’s what happened to people in Old Testament times who died before the coming of Christ

            -- let’s move on and talk about people in our day

-- as we discussed last week, we know that if a believer in Christ dies, they are immediately taken to be in the presence of God -- if we are a Christian, we no longer go to Sheol/Hades when we die -- we immediately go to heaven to be with the Lord -- we talked about that last week

            -- so, what about those who don’t believe in Jesus today? -- what about those people in our day who haven’t put their faith and trust in Him and haven’t asked Him to forgive them of their sins?

            -- in that case, when they die, they will go to Sheol/Hades just like the unbelievers who died before the cross -- and, because they are unbelievers, they will be sent to the place of torment -- not Hell -- keep that in mind -- Hell is different -- they will be sent to the place of torment that is part of Sheol/Hades

            -- they will be there with all of the other people throughout history -- from the very beginning of time up till now -- who have died without putting their trust in Jesus -- in putting their faith in the Messiah that God first promised in Genesis 3:15

            -- so, what happens to people in our day who are not Christians and who die in their sins? -- they are sent to Sheol/Hades -- the same temporary holding place that people before the cross were sent to -- they are in the temporary realm of the dead, waiting for final judgment at the Great White Throne, which we read about in the Book of Revelation

 

            -- so, summing all this up:

            1.  If you are a believer in Christ right now, when you die, you immediately go to be with the Lord in Heaven

            2.  If you are not a believer in Christ, when you die, you immediately go to Sheol/Hades to the place of torment

 

            -- but what about the people who were believers in Christ before His coming? -- those people from the Old Testament times who believe and died and were sent to the region of Sheol/Hades known as Abraham’s Bosom or paradise -- where are they right now? -- are they still in Abraham’s Bosom or Paradise?

            -- well, I hoped to be able to share the answer to that with you this morning, but I am running long and I can smell the food in the back and I know that we’re all getting hungry -- so, we’re going to have to table that discussion until next week

 

III.  CLOSING

-- let me close by telling you about an incident that happened with the British ocean liner, the R.M.S. Lusitania, that was struck by a torpedo from a German submarine on May 7, 1915.

-- In an effort to minimize panic in the aftermath of the torpedo strike, the captain created a false sense of assurance -- when a passenger cried out in panic to him, "Captain, what do you wish us to do?" -- he replied, "Stay right where you are, Madam, it's all right -- the boat will not sink”

-- his comment was greeted with cheers -- and the people who were lining up and trying to get on the life boats, turned around and quit trying to save themselves because the captain told them what they truly wanted to hear -- they were in no danger and everything was okay -- to just keep doing what they were doing before and nothing would harm them

-- unfortunately, the captain’s false assurances were just that -- false -- the ship did sink

-- and because the people trusted in the captain’s false assurances that nothing was wrong and they would all be okay, 60% of the people on the ship perished in the waters of the Atlantic because they were not ready when the ship finally sank

 

-- the lesson we can learn from the Lusitania and from the story of Lazarus and the rich man is that we need to be ready -- that we need to be prepared for the moment that we face death

-- as Jesus teaches in this story -- as we read elsewhere in the Bible -- we cannot save ourselves -- our good works -- our wealth -- our prosperity -- have no value in salvation and are not necessarily evidence of God’s blessing in our lives

-- salvation only comes through belief in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross of Calvary for our sins and in His resurrection, as proof of His victory over sin and death -- salvation only comes when we put our faith and trust in Jesus and Him alone

-- and the Bible promises that if we do that -- if we truly believe in our heart of hearts that Jesus is Lord and ask Him to forgive us of our sins and be our Lord and Savior -- that we will be saved and that when we die, we will immediately go to be with Him forever

-- if we reject that truth, as the rich man in this passage did, then we face the consequences of our sins and will be sent to the place of torment in Sheol/Hades to await our final judgment before God

-- it’s that serious -- and we should use the truths that are taught by Jesus in this story of Lazarus and the rich man to warn others of the danger -- to not placate them with a false sense of assurance like the captain of the Lusitania -- but to lead them to the truth and to point them to the only One who can save them

-- that is what I want you to get from this message today -- and that needs to be the message that we carry forth to this world today

-- with that, let us close in prayer

-- let us pray

 

 

SERMON: AFTER LIFE -- AfterLife Sermon Series, Part 1

 

AfterLife Sermon Series -- Part 1

Naylor Community Christian Church

 

            -- turn in Bibles to 2 Corinthians 5:1-8

 

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

 

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

 

            -- several years ago, Maria Shriver, the former wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger, wrote a children's book called, "What's Heaven?" -- this book is the story of Kate, a little girl whose great-grandmother has just died -- she's trying to understand what happens after you die, so her mother tells her all about heaven

            -- in the book, Shriver writes, "heaven is a beautiful place -- a place where you can sit on soft clouds and talk... If you're good throughout your life, then you get to go [there]... When your life is finished here on earth, God sends angels down to take you heaven to be with him."

 

            -- now, what Maria Shriver was putting forth in her children’s book is the view of heaven that most Americans hold -- the idea that when we die, we are all going to become angels and get our wings, and go to heaven to live in the clouds with God and worship Him every moment of every day for all of eternity with the harps that we are given at the pearly gates

            -- I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at funerals and heard people share this same idea with the family who lost a loved one -- “God just needed another angel,” they’ll say -- “Your loved one is with God in heaven right now”

            -- but is this image of the afterlife, correct? -- is this what happens when we die? -- does anyone know?

 

            -- Sara Groves, a contemporary Christian singer, wrote a song about this great question called, "What do I know?" where she shares her experience of trying to comfort an 88-year-old friend of hers who was dying

-- this friend was saved by Jesus and was strong in her faith when she was 34 -- when she was young and in the prime of her life -- but now she is old and is afraid because she is facing death -- she’s about to find the true answer to the question we all face in our lives, “what happens when we die?” -- and, so, she’s seeking a word of hope and encouragement from her friend

            -- Sara sings about trying to answer her friend's fears and sums it up like this:

 

And what do I know? What do I know?

I don't know that there are harps in heaven, or the process for earning your wings.

I don't know of bright lights at the ends of tunnels, or any of those things.

But I know to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord

And from what I know of him, that must be pretty good.

 

            -- so, what does happen when we die? -- is it like Maria Shriver wrote in her children’s book? -- is heaven going to be an eternity of living in the clouds and playing our harps or is it something else? -- what does the Bible tell us?

            -- well, this morning, we are beginning a new teaching series called Afterlife -- a look at how the Bible answers the question, “what happens when we die” -- in this series, we’re going to look at heaven and hell and all things in-between -- and, hopefully, we will emerge at the end of this study with a greater understanding of what happens to us after life from a Biblical perspective

            -- so, let’s dive right in and see what we can learn about this question

 

            -- first thing we need to know -- who are we? -- in other words, as humans, the Bible tells us that we were created in the image of God -- but what does that mean? -- and how does that affect what happens to us after we die?

            -- in Genesis 2:7, we read that “the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” -- out of all the living creatures that God made, it is only man who received from God the breath of life -- which makes us unique out of all his creation

            -- this act of creation resulted in humans being formed as tripartite creatures -- body, soul, and spirit

            -- most people assume that the terms soul and spirit are interchangeable -- that they are the same -- but there is a difference -- as we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

            -- the Greek word for “and” in this verse was deliberately put in-between spirit, soul, and body -- Paul was trying to emphasize the fact that we have all three -- he wanted to make sure that his readers knew that we have spirit and soul and body

            -- so, the Bible recognizes these as separate and distinct parts of who we are as men and women created in the image of God -- most of creation only has a body and a soul -- but because God breathed into us His very breath, we were given a spirit -- and it is the spirit that makes us different from the rest of creation

            -- let me break this down for you

           

            -- everything in creation has a body -- everything that is alive has a body of some type -- that is a given -- it’s easy for us to see -- whether we’re talking about plants or animals or microscopic organisms -- we all have a body of some type -- a form that was created just for us by God -- our body is what makes us mortal -- it is the perishable part of who we are -- all of creation has a body

 

            -- secondly, we all have a soul -- everything in creation has a soul -- that’s the part of the creature that makes it alive -- the soul refers to our consciousness -- our mind -- our emotions -- our will -- it is when the soul leaves our body, that we die -- that is the definition of physical death -- the absence of the soul

-- now, there is a difference in the type and complexities of the souls that each creature possesses -- we know this too, right -- we can look at an insect or a snail or a dog or a person and realize very quickly, that they are all different -- they have different levels of consciousness and aliveness -- they have different levels of awareness and different ways in which they interact with the world and their environment

-- as men and women made in the image of God, we have the highest, most complex form of the soul -- this is what gives us our humanness -- that makes us distinct from all the other creatures on earth -- our intellect -- our emotions -- our mind -- our will -- all of these are greater than the rest of creation -- but that is not the only thing that separates us from the rest

 

            -- the part that separates us from the rest of creation is our spirit -- that which was given when God breathed into us His very breath -- our spirit is that part of us that connects with God -- that allows us to know Him and experience Him and that joins with His very presence and unites us with Him forever

            -- only humans have this -- snails don’t stay up at night pondering whether there is a God -- birds don’t worry about their salvation -- only humans do -- and the reason why is because we alone were created with a spirit

-- our spirits join with the Spirit of God within us when we become believers -- it is our spirit that makes us immortal and different from all the rest of creation

            -- so, as humans, we are tripartite -- we are three parts in one creation -- body, soul, and spirit

           

            -- now, what does the fact that we are body, soul, and spirit have to do with the question of what happens when we die?

            -- we see the answer to that in this passage here in 2 Corinthians 5 -- look back with me at verse 1

 

2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

 

-- remember what we were just talking about -- as humans created in the image of God through the breath of God that was breathed into us during creation, we exist as tripartite beings -- body, soul, and spirit

-- that is what God created us to be -- and that is what we are going to be in eternity -- we will always have a body, a soul, and a spirit -- that is foundational -- you need to know that

 

 

            -- we see that here in these verses -- Paul speaks in these verses about our earthly tent that we live in -- what is that? -- that is our earthly body

            -- when Paul talks about us living in an earthly tent or being clothed in an earthly tent, he is referring to our physical body -- the body that you are in right now -- the body that you can see and feel and touch -- that is your earthly tent

            -- so, what is the first thing that happens when we die? -- our soul and our spirit vacate our earthly body -- we leave it behind -- our earthly tent is destroyed

            -- we all know that -- we’ve all seen that ourselves -- all of us are aware of this fact

-- we know that when we go to a funeral, it is only the body of our loved one that we see -- their soul and spirit are not there -- and so the body is just the earthly container of the soul and spirit that has been left behind

 

            -- a young pastor was trying to make this point in a funeral one time and he was trying to use the illustration of a peanut to help everyone understand what had happened to their loved one -- he was trying to point out that the soul and spirit had moved on and that all that was left was the shell, just like the shell of the peanut is all you have left when you get done eating a peanut

            -- but he spoke too fast and he proclaimed to the congregation, “The shell is still here, but the nut is gone” -- I’m sure the family appreciated their loved one being called a nut

            -- regardless, he may have chosen his words better, but his point in that illustration was correct

            -- as Paul says here, when we die -- when our earthly tent is destroyed -- our soul and our spirit move on -- and only our body -- the shell of who we were -- remains

            -- so, what happens then?

 

            -- here’s where a lot of people will tell you that we go to heaven as disembodied spirits -- as spirits with no body -- that we go up to the clouds, we get our wings and our harps, and we spend eternity with God

            -- not quite -- Paul points out here that when our body is destroyed -- when this earthly tent is destroyed -- we are not left homeless -- we are not left naked -- that is, without a body

            -- instead, we are clothed with our heavenly dwelling -- don’t miss that -- don’t skip over what Paul is telling us here

            -- when we die -- when our soul and our spirit leave our body -- we don’t just go to heaven as incorporeal beings for all eternity

            -- no, remember what we talked about -- as humans, created in the image of God, we were created to be body, soul, and spirit -- so, when our earthly body -- our earthly tent -- is destroyed, God gives us a heavenly body for our soul and spirit to reside in

            -- so, we will always have a body

 

            -- remember the story of the Transfiguration from the gospels -- the account of Jesus being transfigured and appearing in His glorified form before Peter, John, and James on the mountain? -- when this happened, the Bible tells us that Peter, John, and James looked up and saw Jesus speaking with Moses and Elijah

            -- both Moses and Elijah were dead -- Moses died a natural death and Elijah was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot -- their earthly tents were destroyed -- but they still had a body after death -- not their original body -- not their earthly tent -- but a heavenly body that God had given to them to house their soul and spirit

 

            -- when we die, we don’t become ghosts -- we don’t become spirits -- we continue on as God originally created us -- body, soul, and spirit

            -- there’s a lot more to say about our heavenly bodies and we’ll cover that in another message -- but what I want you to get from today’s message is the point that when we die, we won’t be spirits floating around on clouds -- we will always have a body because that is how God created us and designed us -- we always will have a body, a soul, and a spirit

 

            -- second point from this passage about heavenly bodies -- going back to Moses and Elijah -- when Peter, John, and James saw them standing there in their bodies next to the transfigured Jesus, they recognized them -- and that’s important

            -- that tells us that who we are continues on into eternity -- our soul -- that part of us that is our humanness -- our mind -- our intellect -- our emotions -- our personalities -- that part of us that defines who we are -- how other people know us -- that doesn’t cease to exist when we die, but continues on

            -- that’s why Peter, John, and James were able to look up and know that they were looking at Moses and Elijah -- even though dead, Moses and Elijah were the same people they were on earth -- just in a different body

            -- so, our physical body passes away -- the shell is gone -- but the nut continues -- and if you were a nut on earth, you’re going to be a nut in heaven -- because your personality -- your humor and your dry wit and your being and your character -- everything God created you to be -- your personality and your personal distinctiveness -- will continue to exist in heave

            -- we will abide -- we will continue to be ourselves in eternity -- and we will know each other, even in our heavenly bodies

            -- now, if you get up there and start looking for me, I’ll be the guy who is ripped -- I’m going to have muscles and visible six-pack abs in heaven -- so, look for someone like that

            -- hey, we can dream, right?

 

            -- moving on -- look back at verse 6

 

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

 

            -- third discovery we see from this passage -- there is no intermediate state -- either you exist in your body on earth -- or you exist in the presence of God

-- Paul makes that explicitly clear here -- look what he says in verse 6 -- we “know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord”

-- quick definition of heaven -- heaven is the location of God -- heaven is being in the presence of God

-- so, what Paul is saying here is that if we are alive here on earth -- if we are here at home in the body -- in our earthly tent -- that we are away from the Lord

-- this is a geographic statement, not a spiritual statement -- if you are a believer, you have the very presence of the Lord within you in the Holy Spirit -- and Jesus told us that He would never leave us nor forsake us -- we are with God, even here on earth

-- but Paul’s point here is geographic -- when we are alive here on earth in this earthly tent, we are not in heaven -- we are on earth and not in the heavenly abode of God -- that’s what he’s saying

 

-- look what he says in verse 8 -- we “would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” -- as other translations phrase this, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”

-- when you die, you immediately are in the presence of God in heaven

-- there is no talk here about reincarnation -- coming back again in another body

-- there is no talk here of purgatory -- the place in-between heaven and hell that the Catholics and some denominations teach

-- there is no talk here of soul sleep -- of you existing in a dream state until the resurrection

-- and there is no talk of annihilation -- of our soul and our spirits being destroyed and no longer existing

-- Paul makes it clear -- as long as we are at home here on earth in our bodies, we are away from the Lord -- but when we are away from the body -- when our earthly tent is destroyed -- we are at home with the Lord

-- there are no ifs, ands, or buts -- this is the way -- this is what happens when we die if we are believers

 

-- going back to verse 2, where Paul wrote, “Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling” -- we are groaning to be in the presence of God -- we are groaning to be made whole -- to see our salvation and our faith made sight -- so that we might be with the Lord forever

-- that is our blessed hope -- that is our longing -- that is what we look for and hope for

-- and this is the truth that we stand on when we stand before the coffin of a loved one, looking at their remains -- at the earthly tent that has been abandoned

-- for we know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that if our loved one was a believer -- if they had put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and asked Him to forgive their sins and be their Lord and Savior -- that at the moment of death -- at the moment the very last breath of their body was given -- they were immediately clothed with their heavenly bodies and were at home in the presence of God

-- that is what we believe -- that is what we proclaim -- that is why we are here today

 

-- it is this truth that made Paul proclaim in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, that this is the reason we “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.”

-- we have hope in Christ and in His finished work -- and our very bodies and souls and spirits cry out and groan to be in His presence forever -- because that is what happens when a believer dies

-- that is the good news of the gospel of Christ

 

            -- but there’s a whole lot more to say in response to the question, “what happens when we die?”

-- for instance, what about the people in the Old Testament -- what happened to them?

-- and what about unbelievers? -- where do they go when they die?

 

-- well, as they used to say on the TV -- stay tuned next week for the exciting continuation of our story about the afterlife -- same location -- same time

-- and, next week, bring a friend who might be interested in hearing about this -- don’t forget that we’re having covered dish dinner after the service next week, so use that to help convince them to come

-- before we close, though, I want to make one thing clear about all that we’ve been talking about today -- everything that we have covered today about being absent from the body means that we are present with the Lord only applies to believers -- to those who have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior and put their faith and trust in Him

-- if you are not a believer, this is not what is going to happen to you when you die -- and I want to make that clear -- we’ll talk more about that later

-- so, if you’re not sure where you stand with Jesus -- if you have any doubts at all about whether you are saved or not -- about whether you have really accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then let me tell you -- don’t leave here not knowing

-- we’re going to close in prayer in a moment -- and if you aren’t sure if you are saved or not, now’s the time

 

-- what does it take? -- when they asked that of Peter on the day of Pentecost, he replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

-- later on in the Book of Acts, the Apostle Paul was asked the same question from the Philippian jailer -- what must I do to be saved? -- and Paul responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved”

 

-- so, to make sure that you are saved -- to make sure that you are in a right relationship with the Lord and will go to be with Him when your time on earth is over -- you must believe in the Lord Jesus -- you must repent of your sins and ask Him to forgive you for all the wrong that you have done -- and you must be baptized into new life in Him

-- if you’re not sure where you are with Jesus, you can make sure right now as we close by simply praying to Him and asking Him to be your Lord and Savior-- asking Him to forgive you of your sins -- repenting of your sins -- turning away from them and committing to follow Jesus and His way -- and by asking Jesus to send His Holy Spirit to baptize you and indwell you forever

-- as always, the altar is open for you -- and you can pray up here on your own or I would be happy to pray with you -- just come and let me know

 

-- so, let’s close in prayer and give thanks to our God who has promised eternal life through His Son Christ Jesus to those who believe

            -- let us pray