Sermon Scraps: What happens when I die?

Yesterday, was the third sermon in a series addressing some of the most heartfelt questions we have for God. “What happens when I die?” The following resources may be helpful as you continue grappling with this question, seeking to understand the after-life and our hope for the new heavens and new earth:

Books

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright
Wright addresses the question of what happens when we die and shows how many of us get it wrong.

Eternity Changes Everything: How to live now in the light of your future by Stephen Witmer
An exciting read that gears us up for what is in coming in eternity.

The Bible and the Future by Anthony Hoekema
This theological work overviews how the kingdom of God is both present and future.

Hope Has Its Reasons: The Search to Satisfy Our Deepest Longings by Rebecca Manley Pippert
Beyond the search for our own significance, Pippert explores the reasons we have for hope.

Article

Looking Forward to a Heaven We Can Imagine answers common questions about heaven.

Videos & Talks

This short video, “Fallen“, is an interesting interpretation of how many people approach death, believing that life is short so we should enjoy the ride, since there’s nothing at the end. This does not express a Biblical interpretation of life and death, but shows the emptiness and futility of living without hope for eternal life in Christ.

The Bible Project created this very helpful short video that animates the concepts of Heaven and Earth.

C.S. Lewis’s famous sermon, “The Weight of Glory“, speaks of how glory satisfies our deepest longings. (listen here to an actor reading the sermon)

Jonathan Edwards’s long sermon “Heaven, a World of Love” begins with love as the primary descriptor of heaven. (listen to part 1 and part 2)

 

Further reading related to Christian apologetics, answering common questions skeptics have about Christianity and giving reasons Christians hold to faith in Jesus.

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message by Ravi Zacharaias

X