The Empty Chair

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Lord, I was thinking this morning about empty chairs, how
there's been so many people over the course of my
life that were my good friends and now they're in
heaven with Jesus. The other day I was just looking

(00:29):
Lord at the chair they used to set in, but
now they're not there. The chair is empty, but they're
still alive because they're with you in heaven. But I
pray for those that have a chair around their table.
When they look at it, they cry because it represents

(00:50):
a young person, a family member that used to be
with them but now is not. So I pray for
your comfort. I prayed for your peace over people in
the name of Jesus, Lord, that you would comfort those
who are suffering from not having a chair at the

(01:12):
table that you used to have a love going in it.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, yeah, Father, And I just asked that you would
wash over them with the joyful memories, that you would
remind them of the good times, That you would grant
them grace to grieve, to have the time to grieve
and to process what they need to process, and that
you would fill them with hope for their future and

(01:34):
what that looks like to be able to remember the
individual and celebrate the individual. And praise you for the
life and the blessing that the individual had and lived
and was to them and to those that they're connected to,
and that you would show them a way forward so
that they can honor that person in ways that move

(01:56):
beyond the time that they were able to share with
them on earth.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
One to welcome into healing begins. My name is Pastor
Gale and it's a Stephanie, and the title that we've
chosen for tonight is the Empty Chair. And let me
give you my inspiration for this. The other day, some
of my staff and I were sitting around the boardroom table,

(02:24):
and as I sat there, I got a startling revelation
that in fifty years from now, in twenty seventy five,
none of us will be here anymore. Our chairs will
all be empty, That nobody in that room will be
alive in twenty seventy five, and our names, what we did,

(02:50):
everything we wrote, will be a distant memory. And that
just really began to impact me, because the older I get,
the more empty chairs I have around me, the more
people I used to know that have passed away, even
young people that had passed away. It's probably the hardest
thing on family when maybe you had a son or
a daughter who died, or a grandpa or grandma or

(03:13):
whoever it is, and now they're gone, and it feels
like there's a gigantic hole in your life due to
their passing. And so Jesus wants you to know he
loves you. The Bible says that he is close to
the broken hearted, and he saves those that are rustian spirit.
So the empty chair behooves me to live my life

(03:36):
in such a way that it'll go on for years
to come, even after I'm gone. And So another man
that I really love to listen to who did this
really well was Bill Pearce. He was the gentleman who
produced and did night sounds on Moody Radio. I really

(04:00):
loved Bill. I mean, as a young man, I remember
driving around at midnight and all of a sudden I
hear this strange music come on the radio and this
guy with a baritone voice. That thought, who is this guy?
But you know, the more I listened to him, the
more I liked him.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:17):
Then one day I found out I believe it was
in twenty ten, he had passed away after doing ten
thousand radio programs. Well he's still on the air. Even
to this day, his chair is empty, but he's still
going on.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
Wow. Wow, that's powerful.

Speaker 1 (04:43):
Now, the key scripture we want to focus in on
is this John fourteen. I love the words of Jesus.
You like the words of Jesus. I love the words
of Jesus. Here Jesus says, do not let your heart
be troubled. You believe in God, believes also in me.
In my father's house are many mansions. If it were

(05:04):
not so, I would have told you I go to
prepare a place for you, And if I go to
prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you onto myself. That where I am there ye
may be also. But Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we
don't know where you're going, So how can we know
the way? Jesus said, I am the way, the truth

(05:28):
in the life. No man cometh on to the Father,
but by me. I'm reminded. People will often ask me
to do weddings, and I tell him no, I'm sorry.
I don't marry the living. I only bury the dead.
And they said, what are you talking about? I only
do funerals. I can't tell you how many grave sites

(05:49):
I've stood at saying the last words over somebody else's life. No,
that's an honor and a privilege. The most comforting words
when a chair is empty and a person is gone
are the words of Jesus, where he says to Marry
and Martha, he said, hey, if you believe, you will

(06:15):
see the glory of God. Their friend Lazarth had died,
was in the tomb, dead for four days, and Jesus
then says the following words would stick in my mind.
I am the resurrection and the life. Though you were dead,

(06:36):
yet shall you live? I remember my grandma would always say, man,
I'm looking forward to going home. Now. The trouble with
her going home. She's not talking about going to our house.
She's talking about going to heaven. I said, Grandma, why
are you talk so much about going home? She said, well,
all my family members have gone on ahead, and I
look forward to being with him someday. And that's exactly

(06:59):
what happen. Her chair is now empty. Oh, by the way,
she gave me orders before she died. She's funny. She
told me you're not to come to my funeral, and
I go what she goes, No, I'm gonna die at
such and such a day, and you're going to be
in college and you study for the ministry. It's more
important than coming to my funeral. So when she died

(07:21):
in my mom said, are you coming to the funeral?
I said, no, no, I ain't going to disobey Grandma.
There'll be tears in heaven. She'll get me at the gate.
So do I miss Grandma? Yeah? Is there chair empty? Yes?
Is she dead? No, she's still alive. That's right, she's
in heaven with Jesus's all perspective. Same thing with my

(07:44):
friend Harold Lampin, another elderly man that I just thought
the world of his chair is now empty. But he
gave me last words. It was, you will be a
good missionary. I'm proud of you and anyone in the house.
And he brought out this little book called Within the Gates.

(08:05):
He said, this book is a Rebecca Springer's story about heaven,
and I love this book. It brought him so much encouragement.
Now do I visit grave sites, Yes, I do, But
you know what, they're not there there with the Lord,
and I will see them someday. You know, when children die,

(08:27):
God takes them immediately into glory. Now, it doesn't solve
the situation that a child is gone, but the Bible says,
we don't grieve like men that have no hope. We
believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we
believe that he will bring with those those that have

(08:48):
died in him. And so, my goodness, thank you for
the promise we have.

Speaker 2 (08:55):
Yeah, amen, Amen. I just had my very best friend's
mom passed literally yesterday, and I was thinking about her
legacy and the ways that she loved us, the ways
that she embraced us, the ways that she celebrated us,
and I just have one of those quick moments where

(09:17):
it's like you kind of see a picture. God kind
of shows you something. And I love that verse that
talks about the great Cloud of witnesses and heaven, and
it was like I could see or sense her with Papa,
who's already there peering down over us, looking good, looking young,
looking healthy again, and just full of joy. It was
the most beautiful image, and God used it to just

(09:39):
comfort my heart. And so many times, like you're saying,
we forget that they're still alive, they're actually in a
better place than we are. And I can relate to
what your grandma says, I was actually thinking that this week.
I was like, Lord, you know, sometimes I just don't
have much else to say. I feel like I've said
it all. I've accomplished all my dreams, everything you've put
in my heart to do, I've done. Like I either

(10:00):
need a new challenge and a new vision, or like
I'm ready to see you. You know, I have those days.
I have those moments. So maybe you're out there and
you're kind of feeling that same way. Just ask the
Lord for a new vision for your life, asking for
a new direction for your life, asking for something to do.
And there is much work to be done, he says,
you know that many the harvest is great, but the

(10:23):
laborers are few, and he's looking for laborers. So if
you're needing some vision or something to hold on to,
I would just say call in his name and say, Lord,
give me a vision, give me something to sew into,
give me something to do. Well.

Speaker 1 (10:36):
I was thinking about this, and when I think of
all those people I've known that have gone on before,
I don't know, I must have had at least twenty
go on ahead of me, at least, you know what
I think about I don't know if you think about this,
but there's going to be a reunion day. There's going

(10:56):
to be a day when you see them all again.
If they knew Christ and they put their trust in Christ.
The Bible says, we'll see them again. And I don't
know about you. Here's what I believe now. I believe
all those that had passed on before me, I will
see again. And somehow I believe that Heaven has a
way of making an announcement. Stephanie is about to arrive.

(11:19):
If you were a friend of Stephanie, be a gate
b I don't know if gates are numbered, but I
can imagine. I got a great imagination all those people
being there to greet me. And will there be tears, yes,
tears of joy, tears of happiness, hugging and reunion for eternity. Wow.

(11:42):
So I just had to add that in when we
talk about empty chairs, because it's really important and it
leads me to point number one. Life is short, in
time is precious, Yes it is. You want to read
what's underneath there?

Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yeah, James four or fourteen says, what is your life?
It is even a vapor that appears for a little
time and then vanisheth Away. I think about this one
a lot because I think, you know, like you're saying,
time is precious, every minute of every day. What am
I doing with my life? And at the end of

(12:23):
my days, when I lay upon that bed and I'm
ready to see the Lord and take my last breath,
am I going to be like? Okay, God, I'm satisfied
And I can say genuinely that I am. And maybe
you're sitting here today and you're going, well, I don't know.
I don't know what I've done r I don't know
you know what God has used me to do. I
think maybe my friend's mom might not be a missionary

(12:50):
like Pastor Gail, but I'll tell you what she touched
people's lives. It's love that never fails. Maybe ask the
Lord to show you what are the ways that I've
impacted people's lives? What are the ways that I've changed
people's lives. I don't know why. I'm just seeing an
elderly person laying on the bed and wondering what impact
your life has had. And you're really struggling like that

(13:12):
with that right now, like what have I really done?
And God wants you to know He's going to show
you kind of an image in your mind or a movie,
and faces are going to come before you in the
different acts of kindness and goodness. The times you gave
a glass of water in his name, the times you
visited people when they were sick, the times you know,
visited people in prison or help them maybe even get
out of jail or out of prison. It's like the

(13:34):
Lord sees and he is a rewarder of even those
simple acts of kindness. He wants you to know that
you have done things that have changed people's lives. I
can see your face clear as day.

Speaker 1 (13:46):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (13:48):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (13:49):
I just feel like whoever that is, just be encouraged.
You have changed people's lives, you have touched them, and
there is a reward waiting for you in heaven.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
What will people remember heart that loved deeply, a life
that pointed at Jesus, or a life full of regrets
or on finished conversation is not interesting. I read obituaries
once in a while. That's when I know I'm still alive.
That's my humor. But I read them to see what

(14:20):
is the focus of the obituary. Do they talk about Christ,
do they talk about the Church? They attended. What do
they talk about. Don't wait until the chair is empty
to say words that need to be said, and don't
wait to make peace, to express love, or to live
on purpose. That's very important. So I had that with

(14:42):
my own dad. My brother Calvin set up a come
to Jesus meeting with me and my father. I didn't
appreciate it, but it was the best thing he ever did,
because I got my heart at peace with my dad
right down to the end when he passed on to
be with Jesus. And this next point, we must be

(15:03):
spiritually prepared.

Speaker 2 (15:05):
Yeah, that's so true. Hebrews nine twenty seven says, And
it is appointed and a man wants to die. But
after this the judgment. So we need to be prepared
for both, right that moment of transition and what we
want that day to look like the judgment. See to Christ.
We just you know, it's more about rewards. For those
that don't know Christ, it's a little different story, right.

(15:30):
I don't People don't talk about this much, but I've
got a friend, a prophet that talks about this a lot.
He said, people think God is unkind and that he's
up there. Well, if you don't believe in my son.
I'm not writing your name in the Book of Life.
But it actually says in Revelation that your name will
be blotted out of the Book of Life. Doesn't say
it's written in. It says those that don't believe, their

(15:52):
name is blotted out. So God put everybody's name in
the Book of Life. And it's only when we reject
Christ and the need for a that our name is
actually blotted out. He says, Okay, I'll take you out
of the Book of Life, but I really want you there.
So maybe you're listening today and you don't know Christ,
and you've never accepted him as your Lord and savior.
You don't know that he was, you know, the son

(16:13):
of God, that he was born of a virgin, that
he died on the cross to pay for your sins
and to bring his body was broken that you might
be healed. And his body was bruised so that these
soul wounds and the iniquities of your heart could be purged.
That is who he is. He is Christ, Yeshuah Hamashiak,
the Messiah, the Son of God who came to die

(16:36):
for you. And if you will believe, he will save
you and you will have everlasting life, and when you
get to that judgment seat, your name won't be blotted out.
He'd be like, Yep, you're in here, You're in here.
Come on, we've been waiting for you. And you know,
if that's something you want, you just pray that prayer
and just said, Jesus, I believe I need a savior.

(16:57):
I believe that you died for my sins. I asked
for forgiveness for all the ways I've missed in this life.
But I thank you that your sacrifice is enough for me.
Save me, make me new, fill me with your holy spirit,
teach me your ways, and grant me the grace to
follow you all the days of my life. So when
that day comes, I can stand face to face full

(17:17):
of joy, knowing that I'll spend eternity with you.

Speaker 1 (17:21):
You know this makes a lot of sense, Stephanie, because
when you're a child, you don't know right from wrong.
So children, when they die, automatically go to heaven. Yeah so,
and God never loses anybody. But it's until we're old
enough to make a choice to accept or reject the
sacrifice that Jesus did on the cross, that our eternity,

(17:46):
that our names are either written down or they're not.
And it says in John three to three. Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
I pray that when Stephanie prayed that prayer, that you
prayed with her, have you made that decision? Have you
accepted Jesus Christ of your savior. Because when your chair

(18:07):
is empty, your chance to choose is over. It's so true.
You know there's either heaven or hell. No one likes
to talk about hell. God doesn't send anyone there. People
send themselves there. Let me be clear. You don't have
to fear death when you have made peace with the
one who conquered it. Ay Men, that is so true.

(18:31):
So let's remember that every moment matters. Live with eternity
in mind.

Speaker 2 (18:39):
Classians three to two says, set your affection on things above,
not on the things of the earth. If we believe
that heaven is real and that our time is short,
then we should live like it, and we must live
like it. Right then we'll do something a little bit different.
Maybe we'll love more freely, Maybe we'll forgive more quickly, certainly,

(19:00):
will worship more deeply and follow him and serve him
more faithfully, and we'll speak about Jesus more boldly because
we want other people to have the same experience. We
have to receive the same love we receive, right, so
we'll share that with others so that others can be
there with us too, especially those people we care for.

Speaker 1 (19:18):
Well, you know that is so true because the Bible
says that the Gospel is good news to share. So
if you know what the good news in it, if
you know what the good news is, don't you want
everyone to have it?

Speaker 2 (19:34):
Absolutely absolutely want everyone to have it.

Speaker 1 (19:37):
Why don't you read that story there, Stephanie.

Speaker 2 (19:41):
This is the illustration called the rocking chair by the window.
I once heard of an elderly woman who had a
rocking chair by your window. Every morning, she sat there
with her Bible and tea, praying for her children and
grandchildren by name. One day her daughter asked, Mom, what

(20:01):
are you always looking at out that window? She smiled
and said, I'm not looking out, I'm looking up. One
day I won't be in this chair, and I want
to be sure every one of you is ready to
meet me in heaven. That chair is empty now, but
a prayers still live on. Her legacy is still speaking

(20:25):
what will your empty chair say to the people in
your life that you leave behind.

Speaker 1 (20:30):
Boy, that's really good. I like that.

Speaker 2 (20:33):
That's beautiful.

Speaker 1 (20:34):
The final challenge, let me ask you today, is your
heart ready for eternity. A lot of people don't know
if they're going to go to heaven or not. A
lot of people said to me, Gail, I don't know.
I asked one person who is who wanted to know
that they were going to heaven? I said, have you
ever accepted Jesus in your heart? And she looked at

(20:55):
me and said, I don't What do you mean except Jesus,
I don't know how to do that. I said, repeat
this prayer. So if you're listening, repeat this prayer. After me, said, Jesus,
I know I'm a sinner. I asked you to forgive
me of my sins. Come into my heart and be
my savior. Fill me with the Holy Spirit in Jesus's name. Amen.

(21:19):
And part of that challenge is this, is there someone
in your life whose chair might soon be empty, who
doesn't know Christ? Do you know what the best approach
to lead them to the Lord is? To love them.
I've led so many people by the Lord by asking
this simple question out of my great love for you
and wanting to see you in heaven with me someday.

(21:42):
Do you know for sure you're going to heaven? Many
people say no, and then I say them, what would
you like to know? And if they say yes, I
pray and pray a prayer with them, So you want
to say a prayer. And closing Stephanie here as we
wind up this time, or any final comments you.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
Have, sure, yeah, Father, we just praise you and thank
you for those that maybe are near their end of
life that are going to be the empty chair that
you begin to reveal to them the people that you
want them praying for, the people that you may want
them to share salvation with, or the gift of Jesus
Christ and the finished work of your son with. And
for those maybe who are looking at an empty chair

(22:21):
of someone that's gone before them, I just ask that
you would continue to comfort them and strengthen them, Father God,
and reveal to them what it is the destiny that
you have on their life and ways that they can
help you to share the hope of Christ with others
as well. And if they don't know Jesus, they don't

(22:42):
know you is their personal Lord and Savior. We just
asked that you give them the courage and the hope
and the faith to believe that you formed them in
their mother's womb, and you chose them before the foundations
of the earth to be yours, and that their name
is already written in the Lamb's book of life, and
you're waiting for them to accept the free gift of

(23:04):
salvation through your son in Jesus' name.

Speaker 1 (23:08):
And Lord, as we pray ourselves out of the radio
program by through prayer, I just asked that you would
bless people with peace in your presence and the insurance
that you are with him. But also I pray that
you would comfort those that are suffering from grief. May
the Lord bless you and keep you. May he cause

(23:30):
his face to shine upon you, and give you a
piece from Gail and Stephanie. Have a great night, have
a good morning. Are you struggling with the emotional pain, anxiety, trauma,

(24:04):
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(24:24):
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(24:47):
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