I can only Imagine

sermon by Manfred Schreyer

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. :4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. :5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. :6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. :7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. :8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. :9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. :10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. :11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. :12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. :13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. :14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. :15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. :16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. :17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. :18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. :19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. :20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, :21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

      What is eternal live? When we become Christians, we are promised eternal life and we can only imagine what eternal life is. Because we never experienced eternal life, it becomes difficult to get a handle on it.

      Will life be like it is now? Just ever lasting?

      The Gospel tells us not once but several times that once we have given our life to Christ eternal death has authority over a believer. John 8:5.

      However, depending on your faith heritage we are often not clear what will happen after death. Lutheran believe that we will go to heaven after the resurrection of our bodies, Baptists believe that we will go immediately to heaven and in either case either party can make great arguments for their case. . . .but who is right????

      In our lifetime we quite often wish for a better life . . . we often wish for a better segment of our life.

      Example: I recently counseled someone in a financial matter and we came to the conclusion that they had to file for bankruptcy. Now to make it clear to all of you . . . I do not believe in bankruptcy as a Christian, but there are circumstances in which bankruptcy is unavoidable and our system allows for it, since the biblical Jubilee (forgiveness of debt every seven years) is not practiced anymore.

      As I was sitting and listening to the US bankruptcy court, those who filed all sat there and were in hope of a better part of life. Some had remorse about the purchases they made, other sat there and could care less. Still, all hoped for a better part of life. A better segment. Something much better that would await them beyond this point.

      As I was sitting there, I thought: "What would make it better? If they had no financial counseling, if they had not learned from their mistakes, what would make it better. How would they avoid falling into the same trap?"

      You see life is like a passage. We live by experiences and by hope. But the experiences must be plastered with knowledge . . . only then can we change.

      When Jesus describes in John 5:24 that if a person hears the worlds of Jesus he will have eternal life and will not come into judgment. In verse 29 then it says that we will be raised from the grave into the resurrection of life.

      We can assume that eternal life is given now, but the body has to wait until the second coming of Christ.

      I believe that there are three stages of eternal life:

(1) There is the eternal life we experience in the present and we do so by hope and faith.

(Jesus talks about: those who will drink from the well will never thirst, those who eat from the bread will never die . . . And through knowing that we become transformed . . . it is like a journey.

Once you have said "Yes" to Jesus you are saved and your life (your eternal life journey) has already begun.

You know, when you are in a traffic jam and you have to go somewhere you get upset, you observe people who get upset, sweat comes down your brow, you are irritated (to say the least) and so on and so on . . . but imagine you are on vacation and you have your family with you . . . you know the place that awaits you and you know that you will have a wonderful time with your family . . . if you now come into a traffic jam, you are far more relaxed then if you are in the daily hassle and bustle of the world. And in your journey through life it is the same way. Once you have the faith and hope of eternal life, you already experience it and life becomes easier for you, because you already know your destiny.

 

(2) The second stage is that our souls are with God after our death until the end of the world.

      Eccl 12:7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

      Mat 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

The Gospel of Matthew we can clearly read that there is a clear separation of soul and body.

      Finally we remember the words of Jesus on the cross where he tells one of the people on the cross: "Today you will be with me in paradise."

      Revelation makes reference of the saints who are in heaven with God ( Rev.6:9-11)

      That is the reason that Jesus constantly refers to the ones who are dead being asleep, like Lazarus, daughter of Jairus, etc. and Paul speaks about it in

1 Cor 15:6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living though some have fallen asleep.

 

(3) The third stage is at the resurrection of our bodies when in body and soul we will live forever with God.

          Dan 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

          I Isaiah 26:19 But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.

      I want to make it clear here that it does not matter if one is cremated, or whatever . . . Daniel describes that we arise from the dust of the earth . . .

      The apostle Paul describes the process in length in 1 Cor. 15:35-58 (This is a must read!!)

      In this third stage He will create a new heaven and a new Earth and all former things will never be remembered:

          Isa 65:17 "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.

          Rev 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

           

There is much more, and we do not know. Yet I do believe that the bible gives us a tremendous insight if we truly seek an answer. If you have given your life to Christ you know where you are going . . . if you have never given your life to Christ I invite you to come on the journey . . . come now. Jesus Himself is calling you by name as He knows you and all about you.

Say "YES" come home where you belong and seek Him the one who gave you life.