What's Up With Heaven -- Part #2: Series

Sermons about Heaven March 07, 2010

Sermon #2:

What’s Up With Heaven? Part #2

Introduction:

Last Sunday morning we began a NEW SERIES of SERMONS on the SUBJECT of HEAVEN. We LOOKED at 4 POINTS:

1: THE PROMINECE of HEAVEN:

Remember the word HEAVEN is mentioned over 500 TIMES throughout the BIBLE. The WORD of GOD would NOT be the same WITHOUT the PROMISE of HEAVEN.

2: THE PLURALITY of HEAVEN:

Remember there are THREE HEAVENS mentioned throughout the BIBLE.

A} THE ATMOSPHERIC HEAVEN: The AIR ABOVE US, CLOUDS:

B} THE STELLAR HEAVEN: The STARS, MOON, SUN, & the PLANETS:

C} THE 3RD HEAVEN: The PLACE where GOD RESIDES:

3: THE PLACE of HEAVEN:

JESUS has gone to PREPARE for us a LITERAL & a REAL PLACE.

4: HEAVEN is UP:

JESUS ASCENDED UP & HE PROMISED to RETURN for HIS BRIDE.

We ENDED LASTED SUNDAY MORNING talking about HOW that HEAVEN is UP?

But WHICH WAY is UP?

If we say it is in the DIRECTION at RIGHT ANGELS with the EARTH’S SURFACE WHEREVER we may HAPPEN to BE then it would BE in a DIFFERENT DIRECTION from EVERY POINT on the EARTH.

ACCORDING to THIS it WOULD BE EVERYWHERE in GENERAL & NOWHERE in PARTICULAR. It would BE DIFFERENT if we were in CHINA than it would BE here in AMERICA. It would BE DIFFERENT if we were in BRAZIL in the SOVIET UNION.

Have you EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT or HAVE I really MESSED US UP?

Let me TRY to HELP US with THIS if I can:

WHERE is HEAVEN, HEAVEN is UP but I want to SHARE with us a PASSAGE of SCRIPTURE that SHEDS a LITTLE INFORMATION of this.

Isaiah 14 has to do with the ISSUE of SATAN & HIM being KICKED OUT of HEAVEN, but NOTE

Isaiah 14:13 ‘For you have said in your heart, ‘I will ascend into HEAVEN, I will exalt my throne above the stars of GOD, I also sit upon the mount of the congregation of the fartherest sides of the north.’

UNDERLINE that LAST PHRASE:

REFFERING to the PLACE WHERE he WAS as HEAVEN; he REFERS to it in this CHAPTER as the FARTHEREST SIDES of the NORTH.

So NO MATTER WHAT PART of the EARTH we are on or WHERE we are STANDING NORTH will ALWAYS BE UP!

So it would seem REASONABLE to CONCLUDE that HEAVEN is SOMEWHERE in the NORTHERN HEAVENS that is BEYOND the REACH of all the ASTRONOMERS & their very POWERFUL TELESCOPES. SCIENTISTS using the HUBBLE TELESCOPE do tell us there is SUCH A PLACE that seems to be SOMEWHAT VACANT of STARS & GALAZIES in the NORTHERN HEAVENS & MOST SCHOLARS who want to PLACE HEAVEN in the 3RD HEAVENS say it is in the NORTHERN PART of the 3RD HEAVENS. That may be HARD for us in the SOUTH but it does seem that HEAVEN is in the NORTH.

So we KNOW that HEAVEN is a PLACE.

You KNOW SOMETIMES we say that HEAVEN is SO MAGINIFICANT that the MIND could NEVER CONCEIVE or REALLY KNOW about HEAVEN.

But that’s NOT ALL TRUE!

In that SCRIPTURE that says

‘HEAVEN is such a PLACE that our MINDS could not CONCEIVE of it, the NEXT VERSE says this:

‘But it has been revealed to us what it is.’

I Corinthians 2:9-10 ‘But as it is written, { psalms 62:12} Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which GOD has prepared for them that love HIM. But GOD has revealed them unto us by HIS SPIRIT for the SPIRIT searches all things, yea, the DEEP THINGS of GOD.’

So HOPEFULLY THROUGHOUT this SERIES we will COME OUT of it KNOWING MORE about HEAVEN than we ever did BEFORE. The MORE we KNOW then the MORE we should WANT to GO THERE.

If we could really UNDERSTAND ALL the BIBLE tells us about HEAVEN then we should have such a LONGING to BE THERE.

HEAVEN is a PLACE.

But I want us to LOOK at ANOTHER POINT.

#4: HEAVEN is IMPORTANT BECAUSE it is a PRECIOUS PLACE.

You might ASK, ‘WHY is HEAVEN a PRECIOUS PLACE?’

HEAVEN is a PRECIOUS PLACE because EVERYTHING that is NEAR & DEAR to us as CHRISTIANS – EVERTHING that is IMPORTANT to us as a PEOPLE who LOVE GOD is FOUND in HEAVEN.

1: 1ST of all OUR REDEEMER is in HEAVEN:

Hebrews 9: ‘For CHRIST has not entered the holy place made with hands, which are copies of the true, but HE has entered into HEAVEN itself, now to enter into presence of GOD for us.’

CHRIST, OUR REDEEMER is in HEAVEN:

You know we can ARGUE a lot about HEAVEN & its BEAUTY & in these messages we’ll LOOK at the MANY BEAUTIES of HEAVEN but I have the FEELING that WHEN we get to HEAVEN and we SEE all the GOLDEN STREETS & the GATES of PEARL & all those OTHER THINGS which are REAL & TRUE --- they will all FADE AWAY in SIGNIFICANCE when we SEE OUR PRECIOUS SAVIOR.