Sermon Central
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What Is It Like On The Other Side?
Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 22, 2022 (message contributor)
Kansas City, Missouri is separated from Kansas City, Kansas by the Missouri River. Years ago, there was a farmer who lived on the Kansas side of the river. He had a farm, a wife and a beautiful daughter. The farmer and his family had never been across the river. They had lived their whole life on the Kansas side.
One day, a young man floated across the Missouri River and met his beautiful daughter. He married his girl and then took her away with him to the Missouri side of the river. Afterward, the farmer found himself constantly daydreaming about his daughter as he worked his fields.
He wondered how his girl was doing.
He wondered if she was thinking of him.
He wondered how her husband was treating her. He wondered what life was like on the other side.
He had never been across the river...but now, that is all he could think about.
DO YOU FOLLOW MY DRIFT? When we lose a loved one in Christ, the Lord takes someone very precious to us to the “Other Side of the River”. Then we find ourselves wondering where they are, how they are doing and if they are thinking about us. We have never been on the other side, but we can be content to know that the Father is watching over our loved ones until we meet again.
JESUS GAVE US HOPE of Heaven and the Father’s House on the night before He died. He should have been thinking of Himself as he spoke to His disciples, but listen to his heart-felt words:
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:1-6, NKJV).
THESE ARE MY FAVORITE VERSES in the entire Bible. I especially love to hear the words of the Savior when He said, “If it were not so, I would have told you.” What a peace touched my heart when my precious mother died to remember that Jesus told me the truth about Heaven and I would see my Mom again one day. What did He say?
• Heaven is a literal place.
• Heaven is like being in the Father’s House.
• Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.
• Heaven is a place with one door – Jesus Himself.
I LOVE THAT SCENE in The Pilgrim's Progress where Christian and Hopeful come to the final river of death. They are fearful that the water will be over their heads. But Hopeful goes first and calls back to Christian, “Be of good cheer, my brother; I feel the bottom, and it is good!”
For every believer in Christ, we have hope beyond this life because Jesus has died for our sins and has risen from the dead. Now, when you face death, trust in His promise to bring you safely to the other side because you can "feel the bottom....and it is good!
- Dr. Larry Petton
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