I Can Only Imagine

Doug did a great job Sunday morning as he preached on war and peace. It is unfortunate that we had a major technical problem which prevented us from recording the message. So, if you missed it, you really missed a good one. You might want to fire off an email to Doug to see if he’ll share his notes with you.

I saw a poster a while back that said, “Can you imagine a world where there is complete peace and harmony?” It’s a really nice thought and something we all long for of course but one of Doug’s points Sunday as he closed was that there will not be enduring peace on the earth until the Prince of Peace returns.

When I saw the poster, I was reminded of John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’:

Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try;
No hell below us, above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today.

Imagine there's no countries. It isn't hard to do;
Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too.
Imagine all the people living life in peace.

You, you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us, and the world will be as one

If everyone could only just get along?! Yeah, it’s a really nice thought and the melody is captivating. But there are few really big problems with the lyrics. Think about it. If everyone were to actually start living completely for today with no thought whatsoever of a heaven above or a hell below, let’s face it, there would be a whole lot more ‘to kill and die for’ because when you do away with all possibility of future judgment you have effectively removed completely any sense of accountability for what we do in this life. I just can’t imagine that.

But there is an even bigger problem with the sentimentality of the song, because even if we could completely eradicate war and bring peace to the earth, people would continue to die! We would get to enjoy a few years of peace here and then what? Death! What’s easy about that? Try and imagine a life completely void of any meaning or purpose; no significance whatsoever.

That to is something that I just can’t imagine. But I can imagine the alternative. The Bible says that the last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1Corinthians 15:26) Can you imagine that?!

I Can Only Imagine
Bart Millard

I can only imagine, what it will be like, when I walk by Your side.
I can only imagine, what my eyes will see, when Your face is before me.
I can only imagine.

I can only imagine, when that day comes, and I find myself standing in the Son.
I can only imagine, when all I will do, is forever, forever worship You.
I can only imagine. I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel,
Will I dance for You Jesus or in awe of You be still,
Will I stand in Your presence or to my knees will I fall,
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine. I can only imagine.

Here. Why not close your eyes and have a listen: I Can Only Imagine