Missio Dei Fellowship

Paul is now in Corinth, a major city in the area and he attempts to bring the gospel to his fellow Jews. But he is not here as a man of confidence and strength, but in weakness. This second journey for the gospel is filled with many trials and hardships and now he is in a major city all alone. What greets him? Debauchery of every type, the arrogance of man on full display and a city desperate for the gospel. So what does a man who is weary and weak do? He seeks merely to be faithful to his calling as an apostle.

In this message the believer is shown what is their's in Jesus Christ. Where all things are made new. It is the heart throb of every person who hopes in Jesus Christ, especially those afflicted and burdened. We see imagery that draws our minds all the way back to Eden. God dwells among us and we among Him. Our enemies of sin, Satan and death shall never enter into our lives again. They are gone, banished in the glory of God's righteous wrath. And the children of God now enter into the joy of their Master. And in this the glory of God shines brightly.

At this point in time in God's program, believers who die are immediately brought into the presence of Jesus Christ, while their bodies remain in the grave. The next major event is the Second Advent of Jesus Christ where the Church, both living and dead, shall meet Him and be with Him forevermore. However, the eternal state of a New Heaven & Earth does not come at that point. Rather, it is the millennial reign of Christ over the earth. And the entire Church will be with Christ, in our resurrected bodies, serving and ruling on the earth. During this time, there will also be a time of judgment for the believers.

The idea and reality of heaven is often muddled in our minds. We believe in it and hope for it, but we really don't know how it works. It is usually something that happens "later" and a "place" we go. But beyond that, we don't know much. The bible speaks much on heaven and one will discover that the heaven of which we think about much of the time is not the final reality. It is better understood as an intermediate place that awaits the final stage of eternity. A lot of the problem arises due to a shifting away from the biblical text and into a more theoretical and philosophical approach to heaven.

What happens when you die? Unless Jesus returns in your lifetime, you will die. It is a fixed, certain reality and nothing you are currently are doing will change that. For a Christian, however, there should not be a fear of death. Rather, there should be a sort of anticipation of it, for it is the doorway into the presence of their Savior. But there are a lot of questions about this and that is the purpose of this sermon, to learn what it is that occurs when a believer dies.

How do we think about heaven? This is harder than many realize and the reason in that people have written and taught on heaven for over 2,000 years. Today the average Christian can access countless videos, documents and interviews that span an incredibly diverse range of beliefs and ideas. In this sermon we will see how groups and people over the centuries have tried to understand heaven. This involves going beyond what the bible actually teaches and into the world of imagination. This is not necessarily bad, but imagination must be always kept where it belongs.

In this opening sermon we consider the many ways people talk about heaven and then seek to get key ideas clarified so that we can then begin to appreciate the promises given to all who place their hope in Jesus Christ. What does it mean to go to heaven? What happens when you die as a Christian? Will the body be in heaven? These are normal questions. But even more important is how one can be confident that heaven is where you shall be for eternity.

In this final sermon we see how Jesus, Himself, describes the final judgment and hell. Often the discussion of hell is separated from God in such a way as to diminish God's part in the whole affair. It is seen as a necessary evil but something that makes Jesus sad to have to do. But the gospels portray it very differently. Jesus speaks boldly and clearly about the nature and purpose of hell and He makes it clear that He is central to it all.