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Ed Young TV | What In The Heaven Is Going On | December 2, 2021
- male announcer: This program is paid for by the friends
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- and partners of "Ed Young Television."
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- Welcome to the international broadcast ministry of Ed Young.
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- Here at "Ed Young Television," our mission is to make
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- the complex simple as he speaks truth to people in ways
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- they can understand and apply to their everyday lives.
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- And now here's pastor, author, and speaker, Pastor Ed Young.
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- Ed Young: Everybody wants to know about heaven
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- and everybody wants to go to heaven.
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- Heaven, we're hung up on heaven.
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- I have to admit to you, when I was a kid I had a faith crisis
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- because I used to think to myself, "Heaven, robes and
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- a church service that'll last forever?
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- Sitting on a hard pew, and listening to a choir, and maybe
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- I'll just kind of move around from cloud to cloud, shining
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- my halo and saying, 'Hallelujah'?"
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- I remember thinking, "I'm not sure if I wanna go."
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- Well, I've discovered that heaven is not like that.
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- If you think that's what heaven is like, it's not like that.
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- You're not gonna be in some mansion by yourself binge
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- watching Netflix and eating M&Ms forever and ever.
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- It's much more than that.
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- I love how the Bible gives us just enough information
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- about heaven so we can really understand it.
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- Heaven is a real place.
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- Heaven is a place of outrageous and contagious joy.
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- Heaven is a place where we will be with Jesus.
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- Heaven is a place where we'll continue our purpose forever
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- and ever.
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- I want you to understand the fact--
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- the reason you have a focus, the reason I have a focus
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- on forever is because God has set us up that way.
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- God has set us up for success.
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- The Bible says in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verse 11,
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- "He has set eternity in the human heart."
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- Love is a choice.
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- You choose either heaven or hell.
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- I make that choice.
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- So do you.
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- God has set us up for success.
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- God has done the work.
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- The data is right there for us about the other side,
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- the data that matters about hell, about heaven.
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- We make that choice.
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- God has given us the ability to choose.
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- He set us up for success.
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- Are you going to heaven?
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- The Bible also says in Hebrews chapter 11, verses 13 and verse
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- 16, "All these people were still living by faith when they died."
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- And again, I checked the stats.
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- One out of one die, okay?
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- "Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,
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- for he has," say it with me, "prepared a city for them."
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- Now, how cool is that?
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- It took God, what, six days to create the earth?
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- Jesus has been preparing a place for you and me
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- for over 2.000 years.
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- You're talkin' about a developer.
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- It's going to be off the chain.
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- John 15:11, "I've told you," Jesus said, "I've told you this
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- so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
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- What is the dominant disposition of heaven?
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- Outrageous and contagious joy.
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- Isn't that great?
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- Joy. Joy.
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- And that's should be our dominant disposition here,
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- but it's really going to be the dominant disposition
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- when we get to heaven.
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- Several things about heaven.
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- Five things, and let's get ready to write.
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- First of all, let's look at the location of heaven.
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- The location of heaven.
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- Where is heaven?
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- Where is it?
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- Heaven is a real place and it's much closer than you think.
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- Our loved ones who've gone to heaven are near us.
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- Jesus resides in us.
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- The Holy Spirit has residence in our lives.
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- The angels are all around us.
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- Heaven is not some far-off place.
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- It's not like, whoa, it's way the heck out there.
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- It's close. It's close.
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- So the location, John chapter 14, verse 2, Jesus said,
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- talking about the location, "My Father's house has many rooms.
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- If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there
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- to prepare a place for you?"
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- You realize those who love statistics, the word "heaven"
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- is mentioned in some of the translations over 582 times.
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- Heaven, it's a location, a tangible location.
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- It's a place.
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- The first time I ever flew first class was on the honeymoon.
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- Lisa and I had these seats in coach by the restroom.
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- And this is back, you know, back in the day when flying
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- with a little bit different than it is today.
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- And this guy walked up and he said, "You guys look like
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- you're on your honeymoon."
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- I mean, we were kinda tied up like a couple of boa
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- constrictors, you know?
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- Anyway.
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- [congregation laughing]
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- "Yes, yes, sir, we are."
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- "Listen, today's your day.
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- There are some--there are two seats in first class."
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- Wow.
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- Walked up to first class.
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- I'd never been in first class before.
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- Sat down, you know, looking back.
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- The flight attendant closes the curtain, you know, separating
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- economy from first class.
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- Man, the food is better in first class.
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- The service is better in first class.
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- And I'll have to be totally candid with you.
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- When I was in first class, first time I flew first class,
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- I didn't go, "Man, I miss-- I miss coach.
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- Gosh, I wish I was back there by the restroom,
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- eating peanuts and--" No, I didn't.
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- People sometimes ask me, "Well, dude, am I gonna miss, like,
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- the world?
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- Am I gonna miss my job?
- 00:06:44.116 --> 00:06:45.451
- Am I gonna miss--" No, you're in first class, baby.
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- You're in heaven.
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- Now, next week, let me give a quick advertisement.
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- Next week, I'm going to answer some of the most frequently
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- asked questions about heaven.
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- Like, people ask me this all the time, "Will pets go to heaven?"
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- And I'll talk about that next week, but let me give you
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- the short answer: yes.
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- Cats will not, but the other pets will go to heaven.
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- What will I wear in heaven?
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- How 'bout the people I've known in my life who are in hell?
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- Can I see them?
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- Next week.
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- We have to have--see, we have to have a biblical framework,
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- a biblical theology of heaven.
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- That's why we're doing this, yet a lot of us still have some
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- weird views about heaven.
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- And I would say, let's, you know, take the culture and move
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- away from the culture, and let's see what Jesus says about it.
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- So, the location of heaven.
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- Also, notice too the population of heaven.
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- Heaven's gonna be a big place.
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- Now, heaven's for you and heaven's for me.
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- Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you," right?
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- Revelation 7:9, "A great multitude," it's not gonna be
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- small, "of all the nations and kindreds and people
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- and tongues."
- 00:08:08.167 --> 00:08:09.535
- Won't it be just great to be able to relate to people
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- from all walks of life, all skin colors, all nationalities,
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- all socioeconomic levels.
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- I've had the opportunity to travel in a lot of places in the
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- world and the wonderful thing about travel is I've met people
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- from every nationality I can think of.
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- And those who are on their way to heaven tell the same story.
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- I had this longing for something more.
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- You know what I'm saying to you?
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- Isn't it true, in this world you do something, or accomplish
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- something, or whatever it is, you're always goin',
- 00:08:46.806 --> 00:08:48.574
- "There's gotta be something more.
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- There's gotta be something more.
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- There's gotta be something more."
- 00:08:51.277 --> 00:08:52.645
- And then we understand Jesus and we receive him, and then
- 00:08:52.645 --> 00:08:56.449
- of course there's gotta be something more,
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- the ultimate being heaven.
- 00:08:58.517 --> 00:09:00.252
- But all those people from all different backgrounds tell
- 00:09:00.252 --> 00:09:02.655
- the same story.
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- I was once lost, now I'm found.
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- I understood that Jesus took the punishment for my wrongdoings
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- on the cross, and I've received him, and my life has never,
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- ever, ever been the same.
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- So worship will be a huge thing.
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- It's the thing in heaven.
- 00:09:19.605 --> 00:09:20.973
- But we've learned about worship, worship is not just choir robes,
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- and a pipe organ, and singing, "Hallelujah."
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- Worship is everything we do, say, touch, and feel.
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- As a believer, you don't come to fellowship to worship,
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- you come worshiping.
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- So everything we do in heaven will be an act of worship.
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- We're going to be with other people.
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- Just the relational opportunities, have you thought
- 00:09:45.665 --> 00:09:48.267
- about that?
- 00:09:48.267 --> 00:09:49.602
- I mean, now we have all this pride and ego.
- 00:09:49.602 --> 00:09:51.937
- I know I do, and all this stuff, and issues, and baggage.
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- Can I really relate perfectly to people?
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- Heck no.
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- No, nor can you.
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- That's why we have so many problems.
- 00:10:00.746 --> 00:10:02.415
- In heaven, all that stuff's gonna be gone.
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- We'll be able to relate, I mean, in a pristine way.
- 00:10:05.718 --> 00:10:11.090
- The cosmic communicative process will be just ridiculous.
- 00:10:11.090 --> 00:10:15.628
- Psalms 16:11, "You make known to me the path of life;
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- You will fill me with joy in your presence,
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- with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
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- Eternal pleasures.
- 00:10:26.872 --> 00:10:28.240
- After all, pleasure is God's invention, not ours.
- 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:33.813
- Notice too, after the location and the population of heaven,
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- the occupation of heaven.
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- What will we do in heaven?
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- Okay, what do you like to do?
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- I like to build stuff.
- 00:10:46.892 --> 00:10:48.894
- You're probably going to do that in heaven.
- 00:10:48.894 --> 00:10:50.629
- What do you like to do?
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- I like to create stuff.
- 00:10:51.964 --> 00:10:53.866
- You'll probably do that in heaven.
- 00:10:53.866 --> 00:10:55.234
- What do you like to do?
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- I just like to blog and write.
- 00:10:56.602 --> 00:10:57.937
- You'll probably do that in heaven.
- 00:10:57.937 --> 00:11:00.372
- What you'll do and I do will embarrass Picasso.
- 00:11:00.372 --> 00:11:04.777
- It'll embarrass Michelangelo.
- 00:11:04.777 --> 00:11:08.180
- It will embarrass Hemingway.
- 00:11:08.180 --> 00:11:11.784
- I mean, we'll be able to do things in a perfect way,
- 00:11:11.784 --> 00:11:15.054
- but it'll never get boring.
- 00:11:15.054 --> 00:11:19.191
- Isn't that great?
- 00:11:19.191 --> 00:11:21.293
- Now, of course on planet earth, many of us like to do certain
- 00:11:21.293 --> 00:11:24.597
- things and we can't do those things for a living.
- 00:11:24.597 --> 00:11:27.466
- That's part of our fallenness.
- 00:11:27.466 --> 00:11:28.801
- It's just like, man, I mean, I like my job and all that,
- 00:11:28.801 --> 00:11:32.505
- but I wish I could do, whatever, you know?
- 00:11:32.505 --> 00:11:35.674
- I wish I could teach golf, or I wish I could, whatever it is,
- 00:11:35.674 --> 00:11:39.678
- you know, design clothes.
- 00:11:39.678 --> 00:11:43.015
- I believe in heaven we will have the purpose that God's implanted
- 00:11:43.015 --> 00:11:47.553
- into us and we'll do that on another level for eternity.
- 00:11:47.553 --> 00:11:52.925
- Genesis chapter 2, verse 15, "The Lord God took the man
- 00:11:52.925 --> 00:11:57.496
- and put him in the Garden of Eden to--" Say, "Work," with me.
- 00:11:57.496 --> 00:12:02.001
- Yeah, "Work it and take care of it."
- 00:12:02.001 --> 00:12:05.738
- Ed, why did you talk about--I mean, you went back to Genesis
- 00:12:05.738 --> 00:12:08.374
- chapter 2, verse 15, and you had me emphasize the word "work"?
- 00:12:08.374 --> 00:12:12.178
- That's sounds odd.
- 00:12:12.178 --> 00:12:15.948
- God gave work before sin entered the human equation.
- 00:12:15.948 --> 00:12:22.721
- Now, we jacked it up because of our sin.
- 00:12:22.721 --> 00:12:25.424
- God, though, is a working God.
- 00:12:25.424 --> 00:12:29.762
- Our workspace in heaven will be a worship place.
- 00:12:29.762 --> 00:12:35.467
- We're made to accomplish things.
- 00:12:35.467 --> 00:12:38.270
- We're made to have goals and we're gonna help God run
- 00:12:38.270 --> 00:12:42.474
- and rule the universe.
- 00:12:42.474 --> 00:12:44.310
- John 5:17, "My Father is always at work to this very day,
- 00:12:44.310 --> 00:12:49.748
- and I too am working."
- 00:12:49.748 --> 00:12:53.185
- And that brings me to this thought.
- 00:12:53.185 --> 00:12:57.556
- Will people recognize me in heaven?
- 00:12:57.556 --> 00:13:02.561
- Yes.
- 00:13:02.561 --> 00:13:03.896
- Will I have the same identity in heaven?
- 00:13:03.896 --> 00:13:06.932
- Yes.
- 00:13:06.932 --> 00:13:08.701
- For example, on this side, I'm Ed Young.
- 00:13:08.701 --> 00:13:16.408
- I'm a sinner, I'm fallen, I'm fallible.
- 00:13:16.408 --> 00:13:20.579
- God knows that.
- 00:13:20.579 --> 00:13:22.982
- I've received Christ into my life.
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- Christ has taken care of my sins.
- 00:13:24.817 --> 00:13:28.554
- On the other side as a Christian, I will be--will be
- 00:13:28.554 --> 00:13:36.829
- held accountable--so will you, and this is not preached about
- 00:13:36.829 --> 00:13:40.232
- very much, but it's Bible-- regarding, I'm talking to
- 00:13:40.232 --> 00:13:43.903
- Christians now, what you did, what I did with what we were
- 00:13:43.903 --> 00:13:48.274
- given on planet Earth.
- 00:13:48.274 --> 00:13:52.344
- So if somehow I changed identities,
- 00:13:52.344 --> 00:13:57.983
- that couldn't take place.
- 00:13:57.983 --> 00:14:00.219
- Are you feeling me?
- 00:14:00.219 --> 00:14:01.553
- So I'm Ed Young here.
- 00:14:01.553 --> 00:14:03.455
- I'm saved.
- 00:14:03.455 --> 00:14:04.957
- I'm born again.
- 00:14:04.957 --> 00:14:06.825
- God's given me these gifts and abilities like he's given you
- 00:14:06.825 --> 00:14:09.728
- gifts and abilities.
- 00:14:09.728 --> 00:14:11.397
- Now, I clock out.
- 00:14:11.397 --> 00:14:15.067
- I go to heaven and God is going to say, "All right,
- 00:14:15.067 --> 00:14:20.439
- here's this award ceremony.
- 00:14:20.439 --> 00:14:22.141
- Here's what you did, Ed, with what you were given."
- 00:14:22.141 --> 00:14:25.978
- So yes, we'll have the same identity, and yes, we will
- 00:14:25.978 --> 00:14:30.582
- recognize loved ones.
- 00:14:30.582 --> 00:14:32.451
- That's a huge thing and that brings me to the fourth thing,
- 00:14:32.451 --> 00:14:35.621
- the community.
- 00:14:35.621 --> 00:14:37.122
- The community, or you could say the communication of heaven,
- 00:14:37.122 --> 00:14:41.026
- the connectivity of heaven, the communication of heaven.
- 00:14:41.026 --> 00:14:46.398
- In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 16 and 17, you can read
- 00:14:46.398 --> 00:14:51.303
- that, but the last part says, "And so we will be
- 00:14:51.303 --> 00:14:56.075
- with the Lord forever."
- 00:14:56.075 --> 00:14:58.978
- If you think about Matthew chapter 22, that's one of the
- 00:14:58.978 --> 00:15:02.014
- key Scriptures, the key chapters that we base Fellowship Church
- 00:15:02.014 --> 00:15:06.185
- on, but a specific time in that chapter, Jesus said, "Love God
- 00:15:06.185 --> 00:15:12.257
- holistically and love your neighbor as yourself."
- 00:15:12.257 --> 00:15:18.230
- That is what we're gonna be doing forever, and ever,
- 00:15:18.230 --> 00:15:23.168
- and ever.
- 00:15:23.168 --> 00:15:24.803
- Heaven is close.
- 00:15:24.803 --> 00:15:27.740
- Our loved ones are close.
- 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:31.076
- Angels are close.
- 00:15:31.076 --> 00:15:33.345
- Jesus is close.
- 00:15:33.345 --> 00:15:35.981
- We will be reunited with them, and that gives you and me--that
- 00:15:35.981 --> 00:15:42.054
- should give us God-fidence because even right now,
- 00:15:42.054 --> 00:15:45.090
- think about this, Hebrews chapter 11 says that.
- 00:15:45.090 --> 00:15:47.693
- It says--I'm sorry, Hebrews chapter 12 says this, and also
- 00:15:47.693 --> 00:15:50.529
- 11, but specifically Hebrews chapter 12, verses 1
- 00:15:50.529 --> 00:15:53.499
- and following says we have a cheering section
- 00:15:53.499 --> 00:15:58.504
- that never sits down.
- 00:15:58.504 --> 00:15:59.872
- We have the matriarchs and patriarchs cheering for us
- 00:15:59.872 --> 00:16:03.509
- right now as we live our lives, and they're all around us.
- 00:16:03.509 --> 00:16:06.578
- We can't see them.
- 00:16:06.578 --> 00:16:08.514
- They're all around us.
- 00:16:08.514 --> 00:16:10.215
- You're goin' through a trial, they're cheering for you.
- 00:16:10.215 --> 00:16:13.252
- Stay with it.
- 00:16:13.252 --> 00:16:14.920
- God never wastes a time of suffering.
- 00:16:14.920 --> 00:16:18.290
- Don't you waste it either.
- 00:16:18.290 --> 00:16:20.225
- You're going through maybe a relational challenge.
- 00:16:20.225 --> 00:16:23.562
- They're cheering.
- 00:16:23.562 --> 00:16:24.897
- Just diesel through it.
- 00:16:24.897 --> 00:16:27.566
- You're going through a time where you're hot, man.
- 00:16:27.566 --> 00:16:30.436
- Things are happening for you.
- 00:16:30.436 --> 00:16:32.371
- Remember, they're cheering.
- 00:16:32.371 --> 00:16:34.306
- Who has blessed you?
- 00:16:34.306 --> 00:16:35.674
- So we have a cheering section that never sits down.
- 00:16:35.674 --> 00:16:39.011
- That's why when people go to be with the Lord, our friends and
- 00:16:39.011 --> 00:16:42.915
- family, we have a sense of, "Wow, I just feel them.
- 00:16:42.915 --> 00:16:46.985
- I know that they're watching," because once someone goes
- 00:16:46.985 --> 00:16:51.423
- to heaven, God doesn't close the blinds.
- 00:16:51.423 --> 00:16:55.094
- I mean, they can see you and they can see me.
- 00:16:55.094 --> 00:16:59.798
- And one day, we will have that view as well.
- 00:16:59.798 --> 00:17:03.902
- So this is exciting, isn't it?
- 00:17:03.902 --> 00:17:05.804
- To me, I mean, this is like, wow.
- 00:17:05.804 --> 00:17:07.473
- This is great.
- 00:17:07.473 --> 00:17:09.641
- And so you see too why God doesn't give us all
- 00:17:09.641 --> 00:17:13.645
- the information, all the stuff on heaven.
- 00:17:13.645 --> 00:17:16.815
- We couldn't handle it.
- 00:17:16.815 --> 00:17:18.584
- I mean, we're not smart enough to digest it.
- 00:17:18.584 --> 00:17:23.722
- The genius of God is he's given us the desire to live.
- 00:17:23.722 --> 00:17:28.760
- We have a plan, a purpose.
- 00:17:28.760 --> 00:17:31.130
- We're living forever, yet he tells us there's a tissue-like
- 00:17:31.130 --> 00:17:35.167
- veil separating this life from the next, and we're going there.
- 00:17:35.167 --> 00:17:39.404
- He's preparing a place for us.
- 00:17:39.404 --> 00:17:41.773
- The question is, are you prepared for the place
- 00:17:41.773 --> 00:17:44.943
- he has prepared for you?
- 00:17:44.943 --> 00:17:46.278
- The communication of heaven.
- 00:17:46.278 --> 00:17:47.746
- Also too, notice this last thing, the fifth thing,
- 00:17:47.746 --> 00:17:52.684
- the situation of heaven.
- 00:17:52.684 --> 00:17:55.754
- The situation of heaven.
- 00:17:55.754 --> 00:17:57.723
- What is the situation?
- 00:17:57.723 --> 00:17:59.358
- Well, the situation is if we're right on heaven, were very,
- 00:17:59.358 --> 00:18:03.228
- very, very, very, very, very, very right.
- 00:18:03.228 --> 00:18:07.166
- If we're wrong on Heaven, and we say, "You know what?
- 00:18:07.166 --> 00:18:09.134
- Forget that.
- 00:18:09.134 --> 00:18:10.469
- I'm not sure.
- 00:18:10.469 --> 00:18:11.837
- I have questions," well, you'll never be totally sure.
- 00:18:11.837 --> 00:18:15.274
- You always will have questions.
- 00:18:15.274 --> 00:18:16.642
- So do I, but you'll be very, very, very, very, very, very,
- 00:18:16.642 --> 00:18:20.812
- very, very, very, very wrong, really wrong.
- 00:18:20.812 --> 00:18:26.485
- Yes, you'll face Hell.
- 00:18:26.485 --> 00:18:30.322
- Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth,
- 00:18:30.322 --> 00:18:32.925
- and the life.
- 00:18:32.925 --> 00:18:34.293
- No one comes to the Father except through me."
- 00:18:34.293 --> 00:18:37.763
- The Bible says that believers are citizens in heaven.
- 00:18:37.763 --> 00:18:43.035
- Yeah, we live here, but our citizenship is in heaven.
- 00:18:43.035 --> 00:18:47.940
- And this verse, John 14:6, is the exclusivity of Christianity.
- 00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:54.446
- 1 Corinthians 2:9, "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard,
- 00:18:54.446 --> 00:18:59.618
- and what no human mind has conceived, the things God
- 00:18:59.618 --> 00:19:03.288
- has prepared for those who love him."
- 00:19:03.288 --> 00:19:08.493
- We serve a great God, a God who has made us in his image.
- 00:19:08.493 --> 00:19:15.367
- Yes, on one hand, we're finite.
- 00:19:15.367 --> 00:19:18.170
- On the other hand, we're infinite.
- 00:19:18.170 --> 00:19:24.476
- When I was 21 years old, I mean, a young preacher boy, I'd just
- 00:19:24.476 --> 00:19:31.149
- been ordained into the ministry, I got this unique invitation
- 00:19:31.149 --> 00:19:36.655
- to go to Los Angeles, California with a small group of people,
- 00:19:36.655 --> 00:19:41.827
- one being George Foreman.
- 00:19:41.827 --> 00:19:43.695
- You know the Foreman Grill.
- 00:19:43.695 --> 00:19:45.063
- Those of us who are older, one of the great heavyweight boxers
- 00:19:45.063 --> 00:19:49.034
- of all time.
- 00:19:49.034 --> 00:19:51.003
- So I agreed to go.
- 00:19:51.003 --> 00:19:52.904
- We flew out, second time I flew first class.
- 00:19:52.904 --> 00:19:56.275
- And I walked into this room and I saw all of these great
- 00:19:56.275 --> 00:20:00.279
- athletes, all of these athletes over the last, you know, decades
- 00:20:00.279 --> 00:20:04.583
- or so that have won gold medals.
- 00:20:04.583 --> 00:20:06.051
- And then my friend who was with me turned, and there to my shock
- 00:20:06.051 --> 00:20:12.057
- was Muhammad Ali sitting down with a friend.
- 00:20:12.057 --> 00:20:16.261
- Ali stood, embraced my friend, and my friend said, "Muhammad,
- 00:20:16.261 --> 00:20:22.734
- I want you to spend some time talking to Ed.
- 00:20:22.734 --> 00:20:25.737
- He just was ordained as a pastor and I want you guys to talk
- 00:20:25.737 --> 00:20:31.977
- about religion."
- 00:20:31.977 --> 00:20:35.147
- Ali looked at me and he said, "Are you a preacher?"
- 00:20:35.147 --> 00:20:39.084
- I said, "Yes."
- 00:20:39.084 --> 00:20:40.619
- So we sat down side by side.
- 00:20:40.619 --> 00:20:43.588
- Ali actually had his elbow resting on my knee
- 00:20:43.588 --> 00:20:47.326
- and we started talking.
- 00:20:47.326 --> 00:20:48.694
- I was thinking to myself, "Oh my gosh.
- 00:20:48.694 --> 00:20:51.330
- This is Muhammad Ali!"
- 00:20:51.330 --> 00:20:54.433
- My friend didn't tell me we were gonna meet with Ali.
- 00:20:54.433 --> 00:20:57.869
- Had he told me, I would have lost it.
- 00:20:57.869 --> 00:21:00.672
- I mean, I would have been a disaster, but it happened
- 00:21:00.672 --> 00:21:03.275
- so fast.
- 00:21:03.275 --> 00:21:04.609
- And I began to share with him about Jesus, and I mentioned
- 00:21:04.609 --> 00:21:07.746
- John 14:6.
- 00:21:07.746 --> 00:21:09.081
- I started talking to him about heaven, and he was talking to me
- 00:21:09.081 --> 00:21:11.316
- about Islam, and Muhammad, and back and forth.
- 00:21:11.316 --> 00:21:13.585
- And we had a great, great conversation.
- 00:21:13.585 --> 00:21:16.488
- And someone snapped a picture of us.
- 00:21:16.488 --> 00:21:20.225
- How do you like the glasses?
- 00:21:20.225 --> 00:21:23.962
- Pretty sad.
- 00:21:23.962 --> 00:21:25.530
- And on Muhammad Ali's left, but to our right, would've been
- 00:21:25.530 --> 00:21:30.902
- George Foreman, and then that's in our conversation.
- 00:21:30.902 --> 00:21:35.240
- So we talked about those things, and I thought,
- 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:39.878
- "How crazy is that?"
- 00:21:39.878 --> 00:21:42.214
- I mean here is a 21-year-old kid living in an apartment,
- 00:21:42.214 --> 00:21:47.519
- a newlywed, going to a little Bible college, and God in his
- 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:52.724
- sovereignty deposits me to Los Angeles, California, and I had
- 00:21:52.724 --> 00:21:57.863
- this long conversation with Muhammad Ali about Jesus
- 00:21:57.863 --> 00:22:02.467
- and about heaven.
- 00:22:02.467 --> 00:22:03.969
- Then he invites us over to his house and my friend goes, "No,
- 00:22:03.969 --> 00:22:08.073
- Muhammad, we have to get back."
- 00:22:08.073 --> 00:22:09.441
- I'm like, "What?"
- 00:22:09.441 --> 00:22:14.813
- So I told Muhammad I would pray for him, and you know,
- 00:22:14.813 --> 00:22:18.717
- we talked on and on.
- 00:22:18.717 --> 00:22:20.218
- And so I went to the banquet.
- 00:22:20.218 --> 00:22:22.220
- There was this deal, and after the banquet I was backstage with
- 00:22:22.220 --> 00:22:26.358
- my friend, and I was walking, We're walking really back to
- 00:22:26.358 --> 00:22:28.727
- the limousine, and I saw Ali and his entourage in the distance.
- 00:22:28.727 --> 00:22:32.297
- He was gonna walk past us.
- 00:22:32.297 --> 00:22:33.765
- And I was thinking to myself, "I'm gonna say, 'Hey, thanks
- 00:22:33.765 --> 00:22:35.934
- again for talking, Muhammad,'" but then I thought,
- 00:22:35.934 --> 00:22:39.004
- "Oh, that's sad."
- 00:22:39.004 --> 00:22:40.338
- I mean, this is Muhammad Ali.
- 00:22:40.338 --> 00:22:41.706
- I talked to him.
- 00:22:41.706 --> 00:22:43.041
- I'm not gonna--that's kinda, you know, whatever.
- 00:22:43.041 --> 00:22:45.777
- So I just kept walking, and the entourage walked past me,
- 00:22:45.777 --> 00:22:50.515
- and all of a sudden I heard him say, "Hey," and I turn.
- 00:22:50.515 --> 00:22:55.020
- He said, "Come here, man.
- 00:22:55.020 --> 00:22:56.988
- Give me a hug."
- 00:22:56.988 --> 00:22:58.623
- And he hugged me and he said, "Thank you for talking to me.
- 00:22:58.623 --> 00:23:03.328
- Thank you."
- 00:23:03.328 --> 00:23:04.696
- I said, "Muhammad, I'll be thinking about you."
- 00:23:04.696 --> 00:23:08.200
- And that's the last time I saw them.
- 00:23:08.200 --> 00:23:13.438
- Now, fast-forward this thing.
- 00:23:13.438 --> 00:23:16.241
- I'd planned talkin' about heaven a while back, and Muhammad Ali
- 00:23:16.241 --> 00:23:23.482
- passed away.
- 00:23:23.482 --> 00:23:24.816
- So God in his sovereignty knew that I could talk about this,
- 00:23:24.816 --> 00:23:29.955
- that I talked to him about heaven in 1982, and now today
- 00:23:29.955 --> 00:23:34.726
- we're going to have this conversation.
- 00:23:34.726 --> 00:23:37.863
- And pretty much the same conversation I had with Ali,
- 00:23:37.863 --> 00:23:41.700
- in a way, is the conversation I'm having with you today.
- 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:48.673
- Are you going to heaven?
- 00:23:48.673 --> 00:23:51.309
- Many of us are.
- 00:23:51.309 --> 00:23:53.678
- Heaven is an amazing place.
- 00:23:53.678 --> 00:23:56.381
- It's an amazing space.
- 00:23:56.381 --> 00:23:57.749
- It's full of--it's full of grace, man.
- 00:23:57.749 --> 00:24:00.452
- Heaven.
- 00:24:00.452 --> 00:24:02.621
- Heaven help us.
- 00:24:02.621 --> 00:24:05.023
- Those of us who are in Christ, we should live differently, talk
- 00:24:05.023 --> 00:24:08.360
- differently, act differently, steward our gifts differently,
- 00:24:08.360 --> 00:24:11.463
- because we're going to heaven.
- 00:24:11.463 --> 00:24:15.567
- It's my prayer that all of us by God's grace and power take
- 00:24:15.567 --> 00:24:21.573
- as many people to heaven as we possibly can.
- 00:24:21.573 --> 00:24:26.144
- Maybe heaven is not locked for you.
- 00:24:26.144 --> 00:24:28.213
- Maybe you're like, "I'm not sure, Ed.
- 00:24:28.213 --> 00:24:30.815
- I don't know if I've ever made that transaction to step
- 00:24:30.815 --> 00:24:36.488
- over the line and give my life to Christ."
- 00:24:36.488 --> 00:24:38.056
- You can make it today because you'll live forever.
- 00:24:38.056 --> 00:24:44.296
- And if you're right, you'll be very, very, very, very,
- 00:24:44.296 --> 00:24:48.233
- very right.
- 00:24:48.233 --> 00:24:50.702
- If you're wrong, you'll be eternally wrong.
- 00:24:50.702 --> 00:24:56.775
- Let's pray together.
- 00:24:56.775 --> 00:24:58.910
- As our heads are bowed and eyes are closed, I want to challenge
- 00:24:58.910 --> 00:25:01.713
- you to pray a prayer, and this is a life-altering prayer.
- 00:25:01.713 --> 00:25:05.817
- The table is set.
- 00:25:05.817 --> 00:25:07.252
- Eternity has been set.
- 00:25:07.252 --> 00:25:10.455
- It's an easy thing to explain, yet you have to make the choice.
- 00:25:10.455 --> 00:25:15.293
- If you want to make this choice right now, just say with me,
- 00:25:15.293 --> 00:25:20.899
- "God, I admit to you that I have sinned.
- 00:25:20.899 --> 00:25:26.438
- I admit to you my wrongdoings.
- 00:25:26.438 --> 00:25:30.275
- I turn from that and turn to you.
- 00:25:30.275 --> 00:25:34.112
- I believe, God, that you sent Jesus to die on the cross
- 00:25:34.112 --> 00:25:37.616
- for my sins and rise again, and I give you my life.
- 00:25:37.616 --> 00:25:42.354
- Jesus, come into my life.
- 00:25:42.354 --> 00:25:43.822
- Forgive me.
- 00:25:43.822 --> 00:25:45.156
- Cleanse me.
- 00:25:45.156 --> 00:25:47.092
- I give you everything I am and everything I'll ever become."
- 00:25:47.092 --> 00:25:53.164
- If you prayed that prayer with me, that's the greatest step
- 00:25:53.164 --> 00:25:58.470
- you'll ever take.
- 00:25:58.470 --> 00:26:00.338
- When you prayed that prayer, Jesus came into your life.
- 00:26:00.338 --> 00:26:04.042
- And when I see you 10.000 years from now in heaven,
- 00:26:04.042 --> 00:26:07.712
- if I ask you, "Where's Jesus?"
- 00:26:07.712 --> 00:26:09.214
- he's still there.
- 00:26:09.214 --> 00:26:10.982
- He's still inside your life.
- 00:26:10.982 --> 00:26:12.350
- male announcer: To watch an extended version of today's
- 00:26:13.652 --> 00:26:15.453
- message from Pastor Ed Young, go to EdYoung.com.
- 00:26:15.453 --> 00:26:19.824
- Ed Young: Something we're always asking ourselves is,
- 00:26:22.627 --> 00:26:25.063
- how do we take what we're learning here and apply it
- 00:26:25.063 --> 00:26:28.400
- out there where you work, where you live, where you do life,
- 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:33.638
- on those rugged plains of reality?
- 00:26:33.638 --> 00:26:36.841
- That's why I want to send you our monthly Bible teaching
- 00:26:36.908 --> 00:26:40.311
- letter, delivered right to your home, that unpacks
- 00:26:40.311 --> 00:26:43.682
- in even more detail, messages like the one you've heard today.
- 00:26:43.682 --> 00:26:48.219
- Along with that, I'd like to send you some emails
- 00:26:48.219 --> 00:26:52.357
- about our daily devotionals to help you get the Word of God
- 00:26:52.357 --> 00:26:56.094
- in your life every day.
- 00:26:56.094 --> 00:26:58.029
- And finally, we have a team standing by who would love
- 00:26:58.029 --> 00:27:01.833
- to pray with you and for you right now.
- 00:27:01.833 --> 00:27:05.670
- You can find all of this and more by visiting our website
- 00:27:05.670 --> 00:27:09.441
- at EdYoung.com.
- 00:27:09.441 --> 00:27:11.810
- male announcer: Creatively sharing truth, while helping
- 00:27:14.646 --> 00:27:16.581
- people discover God's purpose and plan for their lives.
- 00:27:16.581 --> 00:27:19.751
- This is "Ed Young Television."
- 00:27:19.751 --> 00:27:21.986
- This broadcast is made possible by the grace of God
- 00:27:21.986 --> 00:27:26.324
- and your faithful prayers and gifts.
- 00:27:26.324 --> 00:27:29.010
