Sports in Heaven?
00:00:00.000 | We're back with Randy Alcorn, an expert on what the Bible says about heaven.
00:00:09.200 | Randy, thanks for joining us.
00:00:10.760 | So here's a question near to my heart.
00:00:14.200 | Will there be baseball in heaven?
00:00:16.580 | In other words, we know that there will be play in heaven.
00:00:18.680 | Isaiah 11, 8 and Zechariah 8, 5 seem to indicate this in scripture.
00:00:23.980 | But will competitive sports carry over from this world?
00:00:27.040 | Things like baseball and basketball and golf.
00:00:31.200 | We know we're speculating on this, but I believe there's every reason to expect there would
00:00:37.040 | be.
00:00:38.040 | There's continuity.
00:00:39.040 | If we go back and we say, what will not, instead of asking the question, what will there be
00:00:44.720 | on the new earth that will be the same as on the old earth, we should kind of turn it
00:00:54.680 | around.
00:00:55.680 | What would we expect to be different?
00:00:57.200 | Well, we know there won't be sin.
00:01:00.360 | The new earth in which righteousness dwells, 2 Peter 3, 13.
00:01:04.280 | I mean, we know that for sure.
00:01:05.920 | So there won't be sin.
00:01:06.920 | So I actually had a pastor tell me, who was disagreeing with my comment that I would expect
00:01:12.200 | there to be sports on the new earth.
00:01:14.960 | Now when we say sports in heaven, you know, there's the present heaven and the non, the
00:01:19.960 | pre-resurrection heaven.
00:01:21.440 | So I'm not, not even talking about that.
00:01:23.440 | I'm talking about the eternal heavens after the resurrection that will actually be centered
00:01:28.480 | on the new earth and new heavens, new earth, a physical realm.
00:01:34.360 | And he said, well, yeah, but there couldn't be sports because sports bring out the worst
00:01:38.000 | in us.
00:01:39.520 | Sports make us sin.
00:01:40.680 | I said, well, first of all, sports don't make us sin, but certainly I know what you're talking
00:01:44.400 | about.
00:01:45.400 | I coached high school tennis for many years and I have seen guys at their worst, but also
00:01:50.520 | I have seen them at their best in sports.
00:01:54.760 | And he also said, well, yeah, but we can't have anybody lose ever in a game in heaven.
00:02:02.200 | I'm thinking, well, why not?
00:02:04.240 | Why could we never lose?
00:02:06.440 | It's okay to lose.
00:02:07.920 | It's okay to have a competition and not have it all be about you.
00:02:12.760 | And I even use the illustration of when I play tennis with my guys that I'm coaching,
00:02:17.720 | I would want them to develop to the point where they were finally able to beat me.
00:02:23.160 | And I celebrated with them, trying as hard as I could to win, but celebrated with them
00:02:28.680 | when they did beat me.
00:02:29.880 | And this is, I think, is an example of even in this life, we can have vested interests
00:02:34.240 | in someone else's success, but certainly on the new earth, sin won't be there.
00:02:39.440 | As Paul Helm says, we will not sin.
00:02:42.720 | We won't want to sin.
00:02:44.080 | We won't want to want to sin.
00:02:46.420 | And so that just won't be part of our world.
00:02:49.560 | So I would say, where did sports come from?
00:02:52.240 | Who gave us the ingenuity to even create them as human beings?
00:02:56.360 | Clearly it's from God.
00:02:57.360 | We are made in his image.
00:02:58.960 | Satan did not come up with the idea of sports.
00:03:01.680 | Interesting.
00:03:02.680 | So to lose does not mean one has sinned or been sinned against.
00:03:07.360 | That's helpful.
00:03:08.360 | Thank you for that, Randy.
00:03:09.360 | I can't wait to see what my glorified fastball looks like.
00:03:13.000 | But for more on this and so many other topics, see Randy's bestselling book simply titled
00:03:16.580 | Heaven.
00:03:17.580 | Also check out Randy's ministry, Eternal Perspective Ministries online at epm.org.
00:03:22.900 | And speaking of heaven, will we travel in heaven?
00:03:25.580 | As in will we travel to see other cities and will we travel in space?
00:03:29.700 | We'll ask Randy that tomorrow.
00:03:30.700 | I'm your host, Tony Reinke.
00:03:31.700 | Thanks for listening to the Ask Pastor John podcast.
00:03:33.940 | [END]
00:03:34.440 | 1.
00:03:35.440 | What is heaven?
00:03:36.440 | It's a place where you can find answers.
00:03:37.440 | It's a place where you can find answers.
00:03:38.440 | It's a place where you can find answers.
00:03:39.440 | It's a place where you can find answers.
00:03:40.440 | It's a place where you can find answers.
00:03:41.440 | It's a place where you can find answers.
00:03:42.440 | It's a place where you can find answers.