The Eternity Is Real | Kyle Idleman

Well, what's up, Pando? Good morning. My name is Matt Robinson, and I'm a grateful recovering alcoholic and addict. And I'm a pastor here at Southeast Christian Church, and we're so glad that you're with us today. I want to take a second and say how grateful I am again to getting to next with the folks that write in to us. And I just want to encourage you, if you have not wrote in, but please do that. It is such a blessing to be reminded and to hear about what God is doing. And there's so many incredible things that are going on, and I don't throw words like that around. Lightly, there's some really amazing things happening at individual places, simply because God is moving in and through you. And when you write in, we get to hear about that, and we get to be encouraged by that, and we get to share what God is doing in the place that you're at with other people. So if you would love that, or if you need prayer, or something specific to talk through, we would love to hear for you, so please write in. Also this morning, when I got up, I had to get in the habit. I knew I was going to leave the house early, so I had to lay my stuff out before I went to bed, because it just removes one step for me when it's already taken care of. And so what we'd love for you to do,

to kind of help that happen for you, is hit the subscribe button on the channel. That way you don't have to worry about remembering to check in or to see if anything new has dropped. If you're subscribed to our channel, it'll come to you right off the bat. So if you've not done that yet, please subscribe. Really cool, there's over 35,000 people, individuals who have subscribed to our channel. It's just not to brag about a number, but to let you know that when you are a part of something that's bigger than just that seat that you're sitting in right now. Really excited for this message. It's a message that is hard and hit home for me. Kyle's in this series, the kingdom is real, and today he's talking about how eternity is real. And it's some really heavy stuff, but also really, really impactful. And so I'm really grateful that we get a chance to worship together and that you are worshiping where you are in this moment right now, just like we're worshiping here at any of the campuses or the treatment centers that we work at. So let's get ready for this, get our hearts ready, and let's get focused and let's worship together. (upbeat music) ♪ We lift our heads to the heavens ♪ ♪ And we are here for you ♪ ♪ We reach for the hem of your gummy ♪

♪ We know what it can do ♪ ♪ We know what it can do ♪ ♪ We refuse to go through the motions ♪ ♪ When the king is in the room ♪ ♪ He can sound the mighty motion ♪ ♪ That he build us wrong for you ♪ ♪ That he build us wrong for you ♪ ♪ Then everything that has forever ♪ ♪ Grace, grace ♪ ♪ Then everything that has forever ♪ ♪ Grace, grace ♪ ♪ Then everything that has forever ♪ ♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, let our praises roar ♪ ♪ Grace, grace ♪ ♪ We praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Yes, we do, O'Dio ♪ ♪ We've come to pull around oil ♪ ♪ Just to wash our savior's feet ♪ ♪ Every drop from every bottle ♪ ♪ Can't compare to your glory ♪ ♪ We refuse to bring in our free ♪ ♪ That doesn't cost us anything ♪ ♪ 'Cause you're worth everything ♪ ♪ That everything that has forever ♪ ♪ Grace, grace ♪ ♪ That everything that has forever ♪ ♪ Grace, grace ♪ ♪ That everything that has forever ♪ ♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪

♪ Oh, let our praises roar ♪ ♪ Grace, grace ♪ ♪ We praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Amen to the audience ♪ ♪ And we praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Yes, we do, O'Dio ♪ ♪ All in every seat ♪ ♪ Oh, it's dancing with joy ♪ ♪ We'll sing songs that are ending ♪ ♪ We love to bring you praise ♪ ♪ If it's based on before you ♪ ♪ Or a victory shout out in the air ♪ ♪ With our heads in to heaven ♪ ♪ We love to bring you strength ♪ ♪ You're the kind of salvation ♪ ♪ You're the great I am ♪ ♪ You're the awesome maker ♪ ♪ We love to bring you ♪ ♪ So we sing praise ♪ ♪ Praise, praise ♪ ♪ We love to bring you praise ♪ ♪ Praise, praise ♪ ♪ We love to bring you praise ♪ ♪ Praise, praise ♪ ♪ Sing a new song ♪ ♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ ♪ Hold on, praise is love ♪ ♪ Praise, praise ♪ ♪ We praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Yes, we do know ♪

♪ And we praise the Lord ♪ ♪ In every season ♪ ♪ Oh, what should you look ♪ ♪ 'Cause you're winning ♪ ♪ We praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Church, we get a shout of praise to our God today ♪ ♪ He is worthy of all of our praise ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ (upbeat pop music) ♪ A thousand generations ♪ ♪ Falling down and worship ♪ ♪ Singing the song of ages to the land ♪ ♪ And all who gone before us ♪ ♪ All who will be ♪ ♪ Singing the song of ages to the land ♪ ♪ Come on, you sing His name ♪ ♪ Your name is the highest ♪ ♪ Your name is the greatest ♪ ♪ Your name stands above the mark ♪ ♪ Above all throats and demand ♪ ♪ All powers and positions your name ♪ ♪ Stands above and on ♪ ♪ In the angels' cries ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah, oh, yeah ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah, oh, yeah ♪ ♪ You were left in high ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah, oh, yeah ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah, oh, yeah ♪ ♪ Well, if you've been forgiven ♪ ♪ If you've been redeemed ♪

♪ Sing the song forever to land ♪ ♪ If you walk in freedom ♪ ♪ And if you've been His name ♪ ♪ It seems the song forever to the land ♪ ♪ Oh, come on, church, let's go ♪ ♪ We'll sing the song forever and amen ♪ ♪ In the angels' cries ♪ ♪ Oh, holy, our creation cries ♪ ♪ Oh, holy, you were left in high ♪ ♪ Oh, holy, holy forever ♪ ♪ And your people sing ♪ ♪ Oh, holy, to the King of Kings ♪ ♪ Oh, holy, you will always be ♪ ♪ Oh, holy, holy forever ♪ ♪ Your name ♪ ♪ Your name is the high ♪ ♪ Your name is the greatest ♪ ♪ Your name ♪ ♪ It stands above and above ♪ ♪ Oh bros, hands are made ♪ ♪ Oh powers and positions ♪ ♪ You're made ♪ ♪ Sands and walls and walls ♪ ♪ Sing again ♪ ♪ Your name is the high ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Oh say does that ♪ ♪ Know where the name ♪ ♪ Of the false rules ♪ ♪ Hands a million ♪

♪ All powers and positions ♪ ♪ You're made ♪ ♪ Sands above and above ♪ ♪ And the angels come ♪ ♪ Whoa ♪ ♪ Our creation cries ♪ ♪ Oh baby ♪ ♪ You were lifted ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ Hold me forever ♪ ♪ Your people sing ♪ ♪ Holy to the kingdom ♪ ♪ You are holy ♪ ♪ You will always be ♪ ♪ Holy ♪ ♪ Holy forever ♪ ♪ You will always be ♪ ♪ Holy ♪ ♪ Holy forever ♪ - Amen, church family. All can be seated. You can grab your communion cups on your way too. And each week we take a time to commune with the Lord and this time is so, so important for the believer in the room. It is a time where we recenter our hearts, we recenter our mind and our whole life on Christ and only Christ. And I don't know about you, but I need this every single week. It is what keeps my heart in check.

It's what keeps my soul in check with the Lord. And every time I take the bread and I take the juice and I hold it in my hand, I find myself going through really just four different steps, four different progressions every time we come to the table. I have to start when I hold it. I have to start by asking God the same prayer that King David prayed. He said, "Search my heart, O God, and see if there's any offensive way in me." Lord, is there any way that I have gone astray? Is there any sinfulness in me that you need to get rid of? Before I take your body, before I take your body, and every time I pray that prayer, the Lord is always highlighting something 'cause I am imperfect, I am sinful and I mess up. And as soon as he reveals that I have to repent and it is such an easy word, but it is so hard to do. It simply just means to acknowledge that you're wrong. And I don't know if you're like me, but that's hard to do sometimes. Acknowledge that I am wrong, I did it wrong, and I turn from that and I turn back to God. That's what communion is. It's the time to ask the Lord to examine you and help you turn back to Him. And then I remember, I'm reminded of what Jesus tells His disciples what to do when they take communion. Remember me, remember that this is my body, that this is my blood and is broken

and it will be poured out for the forgiveness of your sin. Meaning every time I come to the table week after week, I am confronted with my worst. I am confronted with my sinfulness, the things I wish that I could take back and the shame that it carries. And every time I bring that to the table, though, the Lord, do you know what I am met with? I met with forgiveness and with grace. Thanks be to God. And that humbles me. It makes me emotional because I've been given something so good that I do not deserve. And it makes me praise Him. It makes me stand up and give Him the praise that He deserves for the grace that He gave me that I don't deserve. And so I'm going to ask over the next few moments that you... him and then we'll stand and we'll worship and we'll praise him like he deserves Amen. You take me when you're ready. [Music] Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonder for face. And the things of life will grow strange, believe that in the light of his glory and grace. And the light of his glory and grace. [Music] Maybe we made this complicated more than it was ever meant to be. Hasn't it always been about the same thing, the Lord bring us back to simple things. And you be the center of your love, my heart belongs to you, my Savior, all the know. You're the one out on turn for the beauty of your name. My soul will have to say, "Jesus, I love you."

[Music] Keep us awake to what's important. Just like Mary, she chose the better things you've been. And you be the center of your love, my heart belongs to you, my Savior, all the know. You're the one out on turn for the beauty of your name. My soul will have to say, "Jesus, I love you for you." Oh, and you are the center of your love, my heart belongs to you, my Savior, all the know. You're the one out on turn for the beauty of your name. My soul will have to say, "Jesus, I love you." Oh, and you are the one out on turn for the beauty of your love, my heart belongs to you, my Savior, all the know. Jesus, I see my whole life. For you only everything For the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything It's for the honor of your Come on, sing my whole life For your glory, for you only everything It's for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything It's for the honor of your name And if my whole life For your glory, for you only everything For the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything For the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything

For the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything It's for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything For the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything It's for the honor of your name And if my whole life for you only everything For the honor of your name, oh my God, oh it's for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name

And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be Of you only everything for the honor of your name And if my days tell a story let it be ♪ And better is one in your clothes ♪ ♪ Oh, how I love you ♪ ♪ Oh, how I love you ♪ ♪ Jesus, I love you ♪ ♪ One more time ♪ ♪ Oh, how I love you ♪ ♪ You can have my heart ♪ ♪ Oh, how I love you ♪ - God, I thank you that in your presence, we find joy, joy that's not dependent upon our circumstances or situation, but a joy that is dependent on being with you, and so I pray that you would let us see that and discover that in new ways today. God, I pray that you would give us just deep within our hearts a desire to be with you, that song we just sang really would be true for us, that there's nothing we would want more than to be in your presence, to be with your people in your presence. And God, there are a lot of distractions, there are a lot of things pulling us in different directions, but would you show us, would you open our eyes to just the beauty of your presence,

that in you we find joy, and you we find peace, and you we find a hope that is not dependent upon anything in this world. It's a hope that is secure in heaven. And God, I pray that even as we open your word today, that your presence would become even more real to us. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. May be seated. A few weeks ago, I began my sermon by listing a number of ways that you can start a sermon. I can start with a joke, or statistic, or maybe a personal story. One way I didn't mention was you can start a sermon with an exercise that will make everyone feel awkward and uncomfortable. So I thought we would do that today. The thing about an awkward exercise is it's less awkward if everybody participates. So here's the exercise. Picture a roundtable with five chairs. I'm sitting in one of the chairs, and who sits in the other four seats? That's up to you. That's the exercise. So don't go with random people that first come to your mind, but go with four people who actually know you, like they really know you. Maybe it's a close friend. If you're married, your spouse would be at that table. Maybe it's one of your kids, or it's a sibling.

But just think for a moment about the four faces or four names that would be sitting at that table with me. I'll give you a moment to do that. Don't overthink it. It's not too uncomfortable yet, but now let me tell you what the room is. It's a room I've been in a hundred times over the years. It's a room that I sit in with family and loved ones before a funeral so I can get to know the person who has passed away. I want to get to know them from the people who knew him or knew her the best. And so that's kind of what makes this exercise a little bit uncomfortable is it's your funeral. We don't like to think about our funeral. We don't like to think about death, especially our own. But just for a minute, just think about who would be at that table in that room to remember you. And I want you to think about this really important question. It's uncomfortable. It's a question though I've asked many people at a table like that. I'll say to the people who knew them the best, would you help me get to know him? Would you help me get to know her? Like what were they really like? What was she passionate about? What did he live for? What's their legacy? How will they be remembered? Tell me about this person. And in that room and at that table,

I am wondering what the people who love you the most and know you the best, what they'd say about you. So just take a moment. Think about that. Just work your way around the room. Like what would they say about you? And the reason I want us to do this like now today is because I've just sat around that table too many times and I've heard too many answers that just broke my heart. For some, I've asked it. It's for a man in his 30s. He died in a car accident. Sitting around his table was his mom, two brothers, a girlfriend, a couple buddies. What was he passionate about? What was he known for? What's his legacy?" Had my notebook ready, there was silence. Everybody's looking at everybody else, hoping somebody else will say something. And finally, his sweet mama broke the silence and she said, "Well, my son loved hats." And everybody jumped in. Yeah, that's true. He loved hats. All right, I wrote down hats in my little notebook. What else can you tell me? What comes to mind when you think about his life? Silence. Mom speaks up again.

Well, you should really come by and see his hat collection. I've asked that question in a lot of rooms. I've heard a lot of answers. She loved to decorate. He was a huge sports fan. She loved her romance novels. He loved his car like it was one of his own kids. I sat in that room one time asking about this woman who had just passed and her adult daughter said to me, "Well, if there's one thing about my mom, she never missed an episode of Young and the Restless." And everybody kind of laughed at the table. It wasn't funny. I mean, it's an entire human life lived. And we're talking about our favorite TV show. And every single time I walk out of that room, I walk out to the parking lot. I get in my car and I sit there and I just think, "What would they say about me? Like, what sentence have I been building for 50 years?" And so close your eyes just for a moment. Go back to those four chairs. Like, what would those four people say? Like, just hear it. Don't be defensive and don't argue with it. Like, just hear the sentence. You think each of them would honestly say, "I'll give you a moment here." You can open your eyes. You can continue to think about your answer to that

throughout this message. But we're going to be in Luke 16, where Jesus tells the story about a funeral. Two funerals, actually. And Jesus actually writes one of the eulogies himself right at the top, Luke chapter 16, verse 19. Here's what we read. "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and find luxury, and he lived in luxury every day." That's like, that's the sentence. "Rich man, purple, find linen, luxury every day." That's what they said around the table. Man, he knew how to dress. Like, he ate well every single day. Nobody did it better than this guy. You should have seen his hat collection. That was the sentence, his whole life right there. Before we get into the story too far, can I be clear what the story is not about? It's not about being rich. It's not about how being rich is bad or evil or sends you to hell. One of the reasons we know that is in a moment, we're going to see Abraham in this story up in heaven, and Abraham was one of the wealthiest people to ever walk the earth. So this story is actually just about this particular rich man who lived his whole life for luxury, for comfort. In chapter 16, verse 20, we read that at this band's gate was a beggar named Lazarus. He was covered with sores, and he longed to eat the food

that fell from the rich man's table, and the dogs came and licked his sores. So Lazarus isn't across town, like he's not a statistic in another country. He'd lay to the gate of this rich man, which means the rich man is like walking past him. He's like stepping over him, coming and going, and his fine linen and purple, going to eat at his five-star restaurant. Verse 22 says that the time came when the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham's side, which is heaven imagery. And the rich man also died and was buried. So both of these men died, kind of the great equalizer between these two men. So one thing, neither of them have any control over. Verse 23, in Hades where the rich man was in torment, he looked up and he saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. And so the title of this sermon is "Eternity is Real." And my guess is when you hear that, your mind goes to heaven, and yet the Bible talks a great deal about the reality of hell. Hell is not a metaphor. It is a real place. If you do a survey of the Gospels, you'll find that Jesus talks about hell more than he talks about heaven. And that might surprise you. Unless maybe you're a parent. If you're a parent, you know that out of your love for your kids, like you issue way more warnings.

Think about how much of parenting, it's just warning. Let me say to your kids, it's hot, that's sharp, use both hands, don't touch that, slow down, hurry up, come here, get away from there, what's this? Warnings, why? Because warnings and love go together. And so when Jesus talks to us about hell, it's not a threat, it's a warning. And scripture describes the suffering of hell. It warns about the suffering of hell in a few different ways. It talks about emotional suffering. Jesus says in hell, there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Nashing of teeth is like the body's physical response to regret. It's what your face does when you look back and realize you missed an opportunity. You look back on days like today or warnings like you'll hear this morning and you'll remember an opportunity you had to respond or to make a decision, but you didn't do it. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. The Bible also talks about relational suffering in hell. Like somehow we've gotten this idea that hell is where the party's at, but that is not in the Bible. If you look at this text, Lazarus is at Abraham's side, like at a table in heaven, there's community, but the rich man is by himself. We know that like total isolation is a form of torture.

One theologian described hell as nothing but yourself for all of eternity. And then there's spiritual suffering in hell. Hell is most simply a place where God is not. So think about what that means. Like right now, the most committed atheist alive still gets the blue sky and the warmth of the sun on his face and his daughter's laugh and gets a good meal. The book of James says all these things. Every perfect gift is from above, which means every good thing that atheist has ever enjoyed comes from a God that he denies. And hell is what's left when you remove God, when you remove all of that. I've heard it put this way, for a Christian, this life is the closest things to hell you'll ever experience, but for someone without Christ, this life is the closest thing to heaven that you will ever experience. So watch what happens next in Luke 16 here. The rich man here is in torment. He looks up and he sees Abraham far away. Verse 24. The rich man calls out to him. Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, 'cause I'm an agony in this fire. Just a drop of water, he doesn't ask for rescue, he doesn't ask to be let out,

just a drop of water, verse 25. But Abraham replied, son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he's comforted here, and you're an agony there, verse 26. Abraham goes on, between us and you is a great chasm that 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. It's fixed, set in place. There's no transfer, there's no appeal process, there's no waiting room, there's no second chances. And I can hear the objections already to this. How could a loving God? How could a loving God send people to hell? I want you to imagine for a moment that your parents of a child, maybe a teenager who's rejected you like completely, and they don't want your calls or your money or your advice or your presence, none of it. They've walked away from everything, you've tried to teach them, and they want nothing to do with you. Like you've opened your home, you've given them a seat at the table, they've got a bed that they can sleep in, but they reject you, and they choose to live on the streets hungry and cold and unsafe and lone, what do you do?

There's part of every parent that wants to go to them and like throw them in the trunk and then handcuff them to a beam in the basement and say, you're gonna love me and we're gonna be happy again. So you can't do that. Not because you lack the strength, but because that's not how it works, it's not how love works. So what can you do? Well, I mean, you could send people, you could find whoever is close to them, and you could say, would you tell my son I miss him? Would you tell my daughter, I just want her to come home and be safe. Or you could write a letter, they might not ever open it and read it, but you could write in your own words how you feel about them and what you want for their life and what you're willing to do. for them to keep going down the path they're on. You could go yourself and you could live on the street with them, like you could show your love by just setting aside your privileges and living cold and hungry in the street. But what if they still reject you? Like what are you supposed to do? Like what is God supposed to do? He sent people.

He sent Moses and he sent the prophets. He wrote a letter. He's gotten our attention a thousand different ways and we've often resented them or ignored them. I mean, for some of you, he's doing it right now. He's trying to get your attention, like right now. He came himself, he left heaven and he lived on the streets of this world and he bled and he died and he rose again. And Luke 16, you might notice that the rich man never blames God. He never says, this isn't fair. He doesn't say why, what did I do to deserve this? Like apparently on the other side of this life, the answer to the how could a loving God question, it seems like it's got a clear answer. There's a second man in this story and he hasn't said a word yet, his name is Lazarus. And we're told that the angels carried him to Abraham's side. It's kind of unusual language. It's heaven language. It's a picture of this dinner table with Abraham at it. We see this in the book of Revelation and this feast and paradise, the table in heaven, it's been set. And so you have this contrast for Lazarus. He's spent his whole life outside of the gate hoping that some food would fall off the table. He's like 40 feet from a feast and gets nothing. And now he dies and he is sitting in heaven

at the table next to Abraham. And so he's in paradise and he finally has the seat. In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, John who writes revelations, trying to describe eternity so that we know it's real. He wants us to understand what heaven is like and he uses some of this table imagery so that we can picture heaven, so that we can live with that hope in mind, with that reality in mind. Some years ago, I was in this village in East Africa and one afternoon, a young man, maybe like 19 years old, was walking with me to show me his home. When I say home, a little context here, mud walls, tin roof, like six feet tall, the guys had been over to walk in and stand up in there, no electricity, no running water. After visiting his home, we're walking back on the road and we're passing all kinds of women who are carrying these heavy water jugs on their heads. It's just something you see constantly over there. They're carrying around this water that gives them what they need to survive the day for them, for their families. And as we're talking and as we're walking, he's asking me about my home. Like specifically, he wants me to describe what it's like to live in the U.S. I couldn't do it. Like not because I felt sorry for him.

Like I suspect he had more joy and gratitude and probably less anxiety than many teenagers in the U.S. When I say I couldn't do it, I don't mean I couldn't emotionally do it. I mean like I couldn't technically figure out how to do it. How do you explain having hot water on demand to someone who's never seen indoor plumbing? Like how do you explain a pillow top mattress to somebody who sleeps on the dirt floor? He asked me what we do for fun there and just for the challenge, I tried to describe a roller coaster at an amusement park to him. He didn't understand, like well, there's this machine and it makes you feel like you might die and people wait in line and we are entertained by it. Like he didn't understand. Well, he talked about coffee 'cause he drank coffee and I drank coffee, but he's asking about my coffee and somehow I'm talking about like vanilla being cookie crumble with extra drizzle and he's like he doesn't understand. It doesn't translate. This is my point. Our worlds were far enough apart that it was hard to find a bridge. I think this is how John feels in Revelation 21. He has tried to describe eternity and what heaven is like and the veil has been pulled back for John and he gets a glimpse of what will experience an eternity

and he's wanting so desperately to communicate it, to find the right words and he's pushing language to its limit so we could get a picture of eternity and how real it all is. But by the end of it, it's like he knows he can't do it. When I was talking to that young man in East Africa, I switched my approach and eventually instead I started to talk to him about what's not here. Like, there's no season here where the food runs out. There's no dirt floor, there's no darkness. If you want light, you flip a switch. And there's no walk to get water. You don't see anybody carrying water jugs on their head there. Like, it's already in the house. Just turn a hand though, it's there. You don't have to carry a jug there. You can just set that down. You can set it down. And as I described to him what's not here, I could tell he started to understand some things. Because I wasn't describing something he had never seen. I was naming some things, what he would stop, some things he would stop seeing. I was naming some things that he had been carrying that he could just set down. And at the end of Revelation, this is what John does in chapter 21. After trying desperately to tell us what's there in heaven, he switches it up and he starts to tell us what's not there. In verse 4, John says he will wipe away every tear

from their eyes and there'll be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away and he who's seated on the throne says, I'm making everything new. Let me tell you what's not there. And so John names what you carry and he helps you understand the reality where you don't have to carry it anymore. You can set it down. That pill organizer, you know, the one with the days of the week us on the lid, you set that down. The cane, the walker, the oxygen line, you've learned to step over, you can set it down. That folder to carry around to every appointment 'cause they always ask for the same records. You can set that down. That bitterness, the resentment, the shame, it just follows you around, set it down. The divorce papers, the death certificate, the test results, the police report, the eviction notice, the pink slip, the restraining order, the bill you can't pay, the negative pregnancy test. Like you just set it, set it down. You can set it down. And this is what happened to Lazarus. He'd carried a lot for a long time. And now he just sets it all down. He sets down the sores and the hunger and the shame and the fear and the loneliness. He sets it down.

And the angels carry him to Abraham's side. So, okay. Let me ask the question that this whole message has been circling. Do you actually believe any of it? I read this article a few years ago where a researcher talked about incongruent values. It's where you genuinely believe something but your life flatly contradicts it. And the article used the example of health that people will tell you a total sincerity. Nothing matters more to me than my health. Well, do you eat well? Well, I'm not, I mean, I'm gonna start Monday, actually. So, do you exercise? I mean, I'm working on that. Do you prioritize your sleep? Well, not really, but nothing matters more to me than my health. Incongruent values. I wonder if that's true for us as Christians, not about health, but about heaven. Because listen to me, if I'm honest, I'd tell you, I believe every word I've said in this message. And it is a daily fight to get my life to line up with it. And so maybe the most helpful question for us to ask ourselves is just what would my life look like? Like, what would it really look like if I lived like eternity is real? To help us with that question, here's what I want to do.

Imagine that you book a week at a cabin in the Smokies. It's got to wrap around deck. Looks great in the pictures. It says rustic charm, but when you get there, you realize rustic charm is not a decorative style. It's more of a legal disclosure. And the pictures don't give an accurate portrayal of what's real. It says it sleeps 10, which just means there are like a lot of futon beds floating around and it says cozy, which just means small. Vintage means old. Charming means that something is broken and they've decided to celebrate it. So you get there and it's a wreck. Carpet's coming up. Wallpaper's peeling. Popcorn's on the ceiling. The mattress has springs that are breaking through. And you stand in the middle of it and you're like, I'm gonna be here a week. I'm not gonna live like this. And so the next morning, you make a call. It's gonna be expensive, but you get a demo crew up that mountain and you tear out the carpet and you scrape the ceiling, you get rid of the wallpaper, cost you a fortune. But you burn through your savings. You take out a loan and you do it right. Mahogany floors, new cabinets, quartz countertops.

And on the evening of your last night there, you stand around and you look at it, "Yeah, it's beautiful." You think to yourself, "Worth it, worth it." And everyone around you, they've been following you because you've been posting it, and they're all saying, "What a great job you've done. It's all so beautiful." You can tell by their comments, they're a little bit jealous of what you've done here and what you've built. And then early the next morning, you get a phone message. It's a rental company reminding you, "Checkouts at 10 AM." Nobody does that. That would be absurd. You don't spend your money and your time that way. You'd be out of your mind to spend all of your money and energy on a place that you're only going to stay at for a week. And then you spend your whole week focused on that place, you're only there for a week. But in case you're missing it, 80 years against eternity is about a week in a cabin. So what are you doing? Why are you acting like you live here? Why are you making this your home? Why are you living like you're not going to check out at 10 AM? What would it look like if you and I, if we started to live our lives, like eternity is real? Like that email that ruined your whole weekend, the one you got on Thursday, probably wouldn't bother you as much. That thing you constantly think about that might happen, that hasn't happened, but it could happen. Probably stopped thinking about it so much. That person you won't forgive, that bitterness and resentment that you keep holding on to, you probably let go of it. Because if eternity is real, you can't take that with you. So what's the point of carrying it for the next 10, 20 or 30 years, if you can't take it with you? And what about money and time? Like what would happen if you started to evaluate these things through the lens of eternity, like Jesus said, store it for yourself treasures in heaven? So what would it look like, just practically, if you lived like you were checking out at 10 AM? Well, here's what happened to the rich man.

The moment eternity became real to him, his first request is for water, but his second request is for a witness. He's got missions on his mind as soon as he realizes that eternity is real. Luke 16, verse 27. The rich man says to Abraham, "I beg you, sin Lazarus to my family. I've got five brothers, please warn them, so they will not also come to this place." The moment he looked through the lens of eternity, what he wanted more than anything else, please tell the people my life, the truth. The moment eternity became real to him, the only thing that mattered to him was making sure that his brothers didn't come to where he was. He wasn't, he wasn't thinking, "Hey, don't say anything to my family because I kind of hope that they'll come here." Like he knows there's no chance of that, and so he's literally begging the beggar, "Go, tell my brothers, it's all real." And so I just want to say a word to some of you. Some of you are ready to believe, and you're ready to put your trust in Jesus as your Savior. You're ready to make the decision official, to be baptized, but there's one thing that's holding you back. Someone you loved dearly and cared for deeply has died, and when they died, as far as you know, they died without Jesus. And so for you to put your hope in Jesus is the only way to heaven. I mean, there's just something about that that feels like betrayal. And the two things I want you to know for sure, number one, no one wants your loved one in heaven more than Jesus. There are no links he will not go to. So as much as you cared about them, he cared about them even more, and you don't know if they were final conversations had. You don't know. It's like the thief on the cross with Jesus, he takes his final breath. And I've just come to believe that this happens way more often than we know. Like the thief got in with seconds to spare, and no one on the ground knew about it, but it happened. The second thing I want you to know is this. If your loved one is not with Jesus, then the very first thing they wanted, the moment eternity became real to them, was for somebody to warn you. For somebody to tell you, believing in Jesus is not betrayal. It is the one thing they would ask you to do. It's what they would want for you more than they would want anything else. More than anything, the rich man wanted someone to go back and tell his family, "It's all real."

And Abraham says, "Well, they've got Moses in the prophets." They can listen to Moses in the prophets. And the rich man protests and says, And Jesus ends this story with a line that I don't think anybody in the crowd really understood that day, but this is like the part of this story where like the music goes quiet and Jesus looks right at the camera lens and he says, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." Someone has, someone has risen from the dead. So look, if eternity is real, then quit spending your whole life remodeling the cabin that you're getting ready to check out of. If eternity is real, then recognize some things you've been carrying that you don't have to carry anymore, like you can set them down. If eternity is real, then look around at your table and know that there's nothing more important than making sure they know that it's real. Nothing should matter more to you than your witness when you realize eternity is real. So let me end by taking you back to where we started. Four chairs around the table with me. I won't ask you this time what they would say. I'm going to ask you what you would want them to say. I mean, I can tell you around my table what I hope they'll say more than anything. I hope they'll say in one and where another, like he lived like he really believed eternity is real. I hope that's what they'll say about you. And she noticed people when she walked by. The way he gave away money, honestly, almost a little irresponsible. She was always telling someone about how Jesus changed her life. He was always sharing his story. He was quick to forgive. Like when she got the diagnosis, like she grieved. But she always had this hope and this peace that honestly it made people around her a

little uncomfortable when she said she would pray for you, she meant it. He never once made me feel like I was interrupting. Like he gave away a car and then he got embarrassed when we found out about it. She invited me to church 11 times. I counted. I came on the 12th. He was the first person to ever look at me in the eye and tell me God loved me. She was the first to apologize. When he forgave, he never brought it back up. He, she lived like it was all real. The question is, what is the sentence that your life is building? My prayer is that God, in these next few minutes, would let us look, honestly, at our lives through the lens of eternity. If you are here and you're not a Christian, if you're someone who's never put your faith and your trust in Jesus, and if you've been coming for a while, you know, like we try not to be too heavy-handed about it because so many of us grew up with church experiences or religious experiences that just leveraged shame and fear as a way to get decisions. And when we don't see that as the heart of Jesus, the Bible says that his kindness is what leads us to repentance, that his love is what draws us. But would you just take a moment and would you consider that your life is but a breath? You're only here for a moment, just here for a week, not very long, really. And just ask yourself, am I living like any of this is real? If that rich man were here today, he'd come up here on stage. And I think he'd say, it's all real, please, like, don't come to where I am. When we hear that, I think our first response is like, "Okay, well, what do I need to do?" But instead, what Scripture would teach us is that we're putting our faith in what's already been done for us. And salvation is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Put our faith in him, and he makes a way for us. Like Lazarus, that beggar didn't do anything to earn it or to deserve it.

You can't do anything to earn it or to deserve it. But when you look at your life through the lens of eternity, the response should be to repent, to confess, and to believe in Jesus. The word believed just simply means to put your weight on to it. I'm going to put my weight on Jesus, I'm going to put my hope on him. So if you want to talk to someone about that decision, you can do that before you leave today. You can get us settled before you leave today. go to our next step room over here on the first-- And for those of you who are Christians, like there's room here for all of us to walk into in some repentance as we worship. And repentance isn't about shame. It's not about making you feel bad about yourself. It's actually about freedom. It's looking at your life in the light and being honest, telling yourself the truth. And so I think there's room for all of us here to just look at our lives and say, okay, if I believe eternity is real, what should be different about how I'm spending my time and what should be different about my relationships and what should be different about my goals and like, what should be different in my life? So let's just take some time to think about that as we worship. Let me pray for us. God, would you, through the power of your spirit, allow us in the next few minutes to get a glimpse of how real eternity is?

God, for a lot of us means setting aside some of the distractions of the day and just focusing on what really matters here or focusing on what's eternal, not what's temporary. So would you help us do that in the next few minutes? And God, would you then allow us to just be humble enough and honest enough and courageous enough to look at our lives and say, okay, if eternity is real, then what needs to change? Where does repentance need to take place? Where have I been going in one direction and I need to go a different direction? And Jesus, I thank you that in you, we find the strength and the power and the mercy and the grace to do that. So help us do that in these next few minutes. Help us to worship with the belief that it really is true. Eternity is real. Since in Jesus' name we pray, amen. You stand with me, let's worship together. (audience applauding) (gentle music) ♪ How I long to preview heaven ♪ ♪ Where pain is gone ♪ ♪ And mercy fills the streets ♪ ♪ To look upon the one who bled to save me ♪ ♪ And walk with him for all he turned ♪ ♪ There will be a day ♪ ♪ And all doubt before him ♪ ♪ There will be a day ♪

♪ When death will be no more ♪ ♪ Standing face to face ♪ ♪ If he died and rose again ♪ ♪ Holy, Holy is the Lord ♪ ♪ In every prayer ♪ ♪ We pray to desperation ♪ ♪ The songs of faith ♪ ♪ We sing through God and fear ♪ ♪ But in the end ♪ ♪ We'll see it all as worthy ♪ ♪ When he returns ♪ ♪ To wipe away our tears ♪ ♪ And there will be a day ♪ ♪ When all doubt before him ♪ ♪ There will be a day ♪ ♪ When death will be no more ♪ ♪ Standing face to face ♪ ♪ If he died and rose again ♪ ♪ Holy, Holy is the Lord ♪ ♪ And on that day ♪ ♪ We join the resurrection ♪ ♪ And stay beside the use of a friend ♪ ♪ And with one voice ♪ ♪ A thousand generations ♪ ♪ We sing worthy is the level of strength ♪ ♪ And on that day ♪ ♪ We join the resurrection ♪ ♪ We stand beside the use of a friend ♪ ♪ Without the name ♪ We've been learning to see a burden

For a little more than delay Forever he shall reign Forever he shall reign Forever he shall reign We shall be in the heaven With angels in the saints We raise our mighty love Glory to our God Who gave us life beyond the grave Holy, holy is the Lord So let it be today We shout the hymn of praise With angels in the saints We raise our mighty love Glory to our God Who gave us life beyond the grave Holy, holy is the Lord Holy, holy is the Lord Holy, holy is the Lord Oh, the earth, the land of the King We sing our glory now Just keep raise to the King The love keeps down down The heaven sees we will roll At the sound of your name Oh, I sing for joy At the word of your hands Forever under you forever I stand And I think compares to the promise I have No, I think compares to the promise I have

Oh, I think compares to the promise I have Oh, the earth Better is one day in your courts Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your courts Thousands of swimmers Better is one day in your courts Better is one day in your hearts Better is one day in your courts Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your courts Thousands of swimmers Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your house Thousands of swimmers There's nowhere else we'd rather be Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your house Thousands of swimmers Thousands of swimmers Thousands of swimmers Thousands of swimmers Thousands of swimmers Thousands of swimmers Let's sing that one more time Better is one day

For better is one day in your courts Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your courts Thousands of swimmers Better is one day in your courts Better is one day in your house Better is one day in your courts Thousands of swimmers - Until spring, amen God, we worship you today or you are worthy to be praise. We believe those words we were just singing God that nothing can stand against you Lord. No thing can come against you God. We believe that Lord. We love you and everyone said amen. Church, you guys have a great week. You're dismissed. We'll see you right back here next Sunday. (upbeat music) (crowd cheering) - Wow, I really hope that that was a great experience for you. That was such an incredibly impactful message and I experienced a lot of feelings as I was listening to it because as a person in long-term recovery, I've got a lot of stuff from my past and a lot of hard things that God has done a lot of work in. And as I heard Kyle unpacking that around, like what do I want to be known for? You know, what do I want to be known? You know, what do I want people to say about me?

Man, it was like a moment of feeling kind of sadness that these pieces are a part of my story, but also then kind of like almost immediately or alongside, I don't know, maybe if you're like this, but I can experience emotions at the same time. I'm really joyful and also really sad 'cause I felt sadness about parts of my story, but then I also felt a lot of joy because of how much redemption that Jesus has brought to those. And because of that, like thinking about eternity is real and all the pieces that come along with that, man, it just allows me to look at that from a different perspective. For the longest time, even 25 years as a pastor and I've only been sober for six of those, for the longest time, it was a lot easier for me to think about God like a judge and all the things that I had done wrong, like my charge sheet, it was like a record and God was somebody I had to perform for and there was so many times in my life where I felt like I had heaped up enough or collected enough bad stuff that it was like all I wanted to do was hide from God. And any talk about eternity was terrifying to me. And the beautiful thing that I'm experiencing right now on this journey that I'm on and it's not like I've arrived at anything, but I'm on this journey of Jesus unpacking those hard things and me seeing those through the light of his sacrifice

and then also then getting to see it through the hope that when God looks at me, he doesn't see the person that's done all of those things. He sees the person that Jesus paid for. And so I get to look at God from a different lens and I'm so grateful that Jesus is that lens and I'm really hopeful as you're in the place that you're at right now, whatever you're experiencing, whatever your connection or maybe you don't even wanna say that you're a part of this relationship with Jesus or you're a part of this faith. But man, even if you're just exploring faith, I hope that you get a chance to look at through the lens of Jesus and how he treated people like me and how he treated people in scripture that should have known better. And man, he moved and now the way I get to live in my life is that God is taking the biggest point of shame, the most broken things in me and it's become a platform to let people know that there's a hope and there's a future. So I wanna let you know about the Pando exclusive podcast that'll come out on Thursday. It's a great follow up. If there was any scriptures in this sermon or any thoughts that you had around it and you wanna dig into that deeper, please jump on Thursday and watch that. It's great to watch Derek and Brandon and some other guests unpack those things a little bit deeper. And so it's a great follow up and so encourage you to do that.

And it's just another thing you can put in your toolbox this week of how I'm gonna stay connected to God. We're come to our close today and we get to do what is my favorite part of being on Pando with you all as we get to do the prayer time together. And like we say in the rooms, I don't wanna just recite the prayer like I wanna pray the prayer. And so I'm gonna invite you, if you're willing, to take a deep breath with me and let's get focused on being in this moment. And let's not just read a prayer together. Let's let these words be a reflection of our ongoing connection with God and just how we're trying to be better connected to God. So let's take a breath. Jesus, thank you for being a great Redeemer. Even when my life doesn't look the way I planned it, you are good. I trust your promises. I feel your provision. I love your word. Please protect me from temptation. Please restore. I am waiting on you in chaos. I need your peace in loss. I need your comfort in confusion. I need your truth. I trust you with everything. I love you in your name. Amen.

We love you guys, and we're so grateful that you're a part of us. We're not us without you, and so grateful for what God is doing in us and through all of us. See you next week. [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO]