Heaven: The Believers Hope Series

“Heaven: The Believers Hope” – Pastor Rob Yanok

Text – John 14:1-3

Either heaven is real or Jesus led His followers with lies. If heaven is a hoax, then it is the

biggest hoax ever perpetrated upon mankind. If there is no heaven, then the Bible is not

true and Jesus was a deceiver. If heaven is not the hope of humanity, then the human race

has no hope whatsoever.

The talk show co-host asked his partner, “if there is a heaven, what would you want to be

asked as you walk through the door of heaven?” His partner said, “Smoking or

nonsmoking?” The question was a lame attempt at humor and fill airtime. These men

were having fun at the expense of God, the Bible, and Christians. People may think it is a

joke, a fragment of their imagination, a metaphysical abstraction, or a theological

conception. Heaven is real!

Time Magazine Article (3/24/97) people were asked questions about heaven, here

are their responses:

1. Do you believe in the existence of heaven, where people live forever with God

after they die? 81% said Yes, 13% said No

2. Where do you believe you will go when you die? 68% Heaven, 3% Hell

3. Which of the following do you believe are in heaven? 93% Angels, 79% St. Peter,

43% Harps, 36% Halos

The word heaven occurs over 500 times in the Bible: describes 3 different types of

heavens:

1. First heaven - the atmospheric heaven (the sky)

2. Second heaven – stellar or celestial heaven (outer space)

3. Third Heaven – the divine heaven (the abode of God)

“To pretend to describe the excellence, the greatness or duration of the happiness of

heaven by the most artful composition of words would be but to darken and cloud it; to

talk of raptures and ecstacies, joy and singing, is but to set forth very low shadows of

the reality.” Jonathan Edwards

Charles Spurgeon echoed the same sentiments: “When a mortal man speaks anything fo

that eternal blessedness of the saints in glory, he is like a blind man discoursing about

the light which has never seen, and so cannot distinctly speak anything concerning it.”

He also said, “ In a way it is akin to a man writing a travel guide for a land he has

never visited or seen. It is an attempt to describe the indescribable with words which

cannot come close to expressing the glory of heaven.”

Apostle Paul expressed our limitations in knowing all that lies beyond this realm when he

said, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part...for we now see in a mirror,

dimly, but face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am

known.” (I Cor. 13:9,12)

Paul also indicated the “mystery” aspect of heaven when he refereed to an outstanding

event he had experienced.

II Corinthians 12:2-4 (NLT) – “I was caught up into the third heaven fourteen

years ago. Whether my body was there or just my spirit , I don’t know; only God

knows. But I do know that I was caught up into paradise and heard things so

astounding that they cannot be told.”

•The NKJV refers to Paul having heard “inexpressible words” while the

Amplified Bible uses the phrase “Utterances beyond the power of man to put into

words.”

•There are many things about heaven God has chosen not to reveal to us at this

point, but neither has he been entirely silent about what awaits us.

I. Why we should spend time thinking and talking about Heaven

a. It has been said some Christians are so heavenly minded they’re

no earthly good. But perhaps more believers are so earthly

minded they’re no heavenly good.

1. Heaven will be our eternal home. It’s only natural that we

should want to know all we can about the place where we’re

going to spend eternity.

2. Colossians 3:2 –“Set you mind on the things about, not on

the things that are on earth.”

3. Why? Our living with God in heaven has been on God’s

mind for a long time.

b. Thinking about heaven has at least five practical effects on our

lives here on the earth:

1. Focusing on heaven restores our hope in times of suffering

(Romans 8:18)

2. Focusing on heaven reassures us that God is on the throne

(Revelation 4:1-3)

3. Focusing on heaven reminds us that this world is not all there

is (Phil.3:20)

4. Focusing on heaven refocuses us on the nature of true

treasure (Matt. 6:19-21)

5. Focusing on heaven reignites our fervor to serve the Lord

(Isa 6:1-8)

c. We are just passing Through! Apostle John recognized this and

exhorted believers to be mindful that this world is fatally flawed