(Please note, there are times when I refer to the book and quote it. Due to copywrite laws, I have just referred to the page number.)
Influence. When I say that word, what comes to mind?
Three lobbyists in Washington, D.C. were debating how to determine their degree of power with the White House. "I would know I was influential," began one, "if the president would ask me over for a private dinner."
"That would be impressive," replied the second. "However, I would know I had influence if the president would invite me to dinner, and while we were dining, his hotline rang and he didn’t get it. That would be the ultimate."
"Let me tell you the real measure of power," said the third lobbyist. "I would know I was powerful if the president invited me to dinner. Then, while talking over coffee, his hotline rang. The president answered and listened momentarily. I’d know I had real power if he then looked at me, and said, ’Here, it’s for you.’"
Every once and a while, something extremely influential comes out in society. A few weeks ago, a book which has the possibility to be that influential was release. It’s a book entitled, “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.” Written by Mitch Albom, who also wrote Tuesdays with Morrie, it tells the story of a maintenance man who worked on an amusement for most of his adult life, and what his experience is like when he first enters heaven. It debuted #1 on the New York Times best-seller list, including soft-cover books. Today, it sits at #4.
When I first heard about this book on the radio, I heard Mitch say that he wanted to do this book to encourage people. And I must say, it’s quite a nice touching story. Here’s another nice story.
REAL LIFE STORY FROM MICHIGAN, U.S.A.
A guy buys a brand new Grand Cherokee for 30 some thousand dollars and has $400 monthly payments. He immediately gets ahold of his friend and they go do some male bonding. They go duck hunting, and of course all the lakes are frozen.
SO these 2 guys go to the lake with the guns, the dog, the beer and of course the new vehicle. They drive out onto the lake ice and get ready. Now, they want to make some kind of a natural landing area for the ducks, something for the decoys to float on. Remember, it’s all ice and in order to make a hole large enough to look like something a wandering duck wants to fly down and land on, it is going to take a little more effort than a ice hole drill.
Out of the back of the new Grand Cherokee comes a stick of dynamite with a short, 40 second fuse.
Now these two guys DO take into consideration that if they place the stick of dynamite on the ice at a location far from where they are standing (and the new Grand Cherokee), they take the risk of slipping on the ice when they run from the burning fuse and possibly going up in smoke with the resulting blast. So, they decide to light this 40 second fuse and throw the dynamite, which is what they end up doing.
You guessed it, the dog takes off at a high rate of doggy speed on the ice and gets the stick of dynamite with the burning 40 second fuse about the time it hits the ice, all to the dismay of the 2 idiots yelling, stomping, waving arms and wondering what the hell to do now.
The dog, doing his job, heads back from where it came from moments before, with the stick of dynamite, the 2 bozos are now really going ballistic - waving their arms, yelling even louder and jumping to new heights - all of which seems to encourage the dog.
Now one of the guys grabs a shotgun and shoots the dog. The shotgun is loaded with #8 shot, hardly enough to stop a Black Lab on its appointed rounds. Dog stops for a moment, slightly confused and continues on. Another shot, and this time the dog, still standing, becomes really confused & of course scared, thinking these 2 guys have gone insane, Rover takes off to find cover, with the now really short short fuse burning on this stick of dynamite.
The cover the dogs finds? Underneath the brand new vehicle sitting on the lake ice. Our brave hunters drop their shotguns and run like crazy.
BOOM !
The dog dies. It and the brand new Grand Cherokee, sink to the bottom of the lake, taking with it all their gear, the discarded shotguns, and the beer, leaving the 2 guys with a long walk home.
Later, the owner of the vehicle calls his insurance company which tells him that sinking a vehicle in a lake by illegal use of explosives is not covered, not even in the clauses which normally cover owner stupidity.
All that is left of this memorable hunting trip is the unused payment booklet for the Grand Cherokee.
Isn’t that a great story? The only problem is, that story, along with the story in that book, are not at all true!
But here’s what I want to do this morning, and it’s a little different than most Sunday mornings. I want to talk to you about this book, and the story, so that you know the difference between what is real, and what is not.
You see, in this story, a guy named Eddie, who works at an amusement pier as a maintenance guy, dies on his 83rd birthday trying to save the life of a little girl in a freak amusement park accident. And instead of arriving in heaven as he would think, he winds up back in the park. You see, according to this book, when you die, you need to meet five people to help you understand your life on this earth. To help you understand the point of life on this earth—in fact, let me quote to you directly from the book—“READ FROM PAGE 35—the highlighted section there.
Can I tell you something this morning? When you do get to heaven, you will see things clearly, you will understand why things happen in life. But I can tell you something else? You should already know why certain things happen—you just might not understand it when it does.
Romans 8:28-29 (we’ve talked about these verses before), “28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[1] who[2] have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
What is the good that God works for? Our conformity to the likeness of his Son. We’ve mentioned before that God does not call people to a life of comfort, but to a life of character. God wants to change your character, and match it to be just like his son Jesus Christ. In fact, Ephesians 4:24, the last part of that verse tells us that our new self was created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Everything that happens in life, God is using to create you like his son, to work in you to create true righteousness and holiness. That’s the goal of life. We may not understand why the tragedies occur. But when you understand that God is more concerned about your character than you comfort, you’ll understand why he allows things to happen in your life.
Think about all of the things that happened to Christ. He suffered every human emotion known to man. He was tempted in every way. He suffered humiliation and pain and loss. If God allowed his own son to experience it, he will allow you to experience it as well. Because his goal is to make you like Jesus.
But I do believe, that when we reach heaven, and we see exactly how things were created, we will fully know. 1 Corinthians 13: 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And I can tell you this with confidence this morning, one of the things you will know in full is how much God really loves you. Each and every one of us here this morning—we will finally know how much God loves us.
I want you to listen to one of Paul’s prayers to the Ephesian church: “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
I want you to think about that one person, or that one thing, on earth that you love more than anything else. For me, it’s my son. I have loved deeply in this world before, and I love my wife, but I have never experienced this kind of love before. I’ve never know the power that this kind of love can have. I would truly do anything for him. Yet the love that I have for Matthew, it doesn’t even come close to the love that God has for me. And that one person or thing that you love on earth, that love doesn’t even come close to the love that God has for you. God so loved the world. We will never understand that kind of love before heaven.
And here’s how he loves you, he loves you enough to want to change your character to become like Christ.
Let’s get back to this book. As Eddie’s learning from his five people, he goes to each person’s heaven. Apparently, each person’s heaven is different. And it changes with each new person that he goes and meets. Sometimes it’s the rusty grim of that amusement pier, and sometimes it’s the jungles of the Philippines in WW2. For others, it’s a continual wedding.
Can I tell you something this morning? Heaven doesn’t change. I know when I die, I’m not going to Bob’s vision of heaven. I’m not going to my Dad’s vision of heaven. I’m not even going to my vision of heaven. I’m going to a home that has been prepared for me. Jesus said, “2In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am”
DO you know what that place is like? Peter says that it is, “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:4).” God has built it, he has designed it for us. John would write this about heaven, “1Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”
Here’s the truth, heaven is a place that God created, and he has prepared special places for us. When we die, we aren’t going over to our friend’s house to spend the night. We are going to the Almighty’s house. We are going to spend eternity living in the house of the greatest Creator and architect that has ever lived. Think of the most beautiful creation you’ve ever seen, the most beautiful building or monument. That can’t hold a candle to what God can create with just a word. And guess what—it’s waiting for you.
Getting back to the book—there’s all kind of stuff in here. For example, some of the lessons that you learn, that sacrifice is a necessary part of life, and we all should do it. Holding anger is a poison, and we need to forgive. All of those are thoughts that parallel the Bible, and we don’t have time to deal with them.
But this morning, I want to close by reading a section of this book. After Eddie has learned his last lesson, and fully realized the purpose for his life, this is what it says.
READ PAGE 193-194.
Eddie sees the purpose in his life, how his life affected everyone else he came into contact with. And with that, God welcomed him home.
Let me ask you a question this morning. How many people are home because of you? Because the life you live affects everyone you come into contact with. You cannot escape this life without affecting other people’s lives for eternity.
A word said in anger may dash someone’s dreams. An ignored phone call may speak volumes more than intended. A card sent in thanks. Time spent in prayer—every task that you perform in this world will affect eternity.
Think about the hundreds, possibly thousands of people that you affect. Your parents, your brothers and sisters, your aunts and uncles. Your children, your grandchildren. Your friends, your neighbors. I haven’t even gotten to your co-workers. These are all people in your life that you will in some way shape or form influence. And the decisions that you make, in relationship to them, will directly influence eternity for that person. How are you impacting eternity? How are you influencing them? Will you be bringing someone home with you?
Eddie saw all the people that he saved because he worked faithfully at his job. How many will be home, waiting for you, waiting to say, “Thank you,” for your influence in their life?
Listen to the words of Peter, (2 peter 1:10-11) 10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
One day, all who are his children will receive a welcome home from God. But the parade, the welcome, may be different. What will yours look like? Will there be a rich receiving line, or will the streets be empty?
Who is home because of you?
This morning, I wanted to inform you about a book, but I also wanted to challenge you with these three thoughts, God’s desire is for your character—because He loves you so much. God’s prepared a place for you—because he loves you so much. You affect eternity every day with your actions. What are you doing to get people home?
Let’s pray. Maybe this morning, you’ve realized that life is more than just for your own comfort, that God desires for you to grow in your character. Maybe you’ve discovered that you are not doing all that you can to bring the lost home. You see, in Albom’s book, everyone goes to heaven. IN reality, only those who’ve accepted Jesus as savior go. The reality is that no one is good enough to get to heaven on our own. Because we sinned, we earned the penalty of our sins, which is eternal death. But because Jesus Christ gave his life for ours, if we believe in Him and his sacrifice, we will go to heaven. Are you doing all you can to make sure that you are bringing as many family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, all of the people that you can? God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, but he left us to tell the world that message. Are you doing it?
