It’s About Heaven

It’s About Heaven

Matthew 13:31-32

Matthew 13:33

Luke 18:1-8

Back to the Parables of Jesus

Today we will quickly look at 3 of them.

Did you know that the parables are about the Kingdom of Heaven?

Jesus mentions this phrase more than 30 times. It’s in every parable – why?

Could it be that the people of Jesus time needed something to hope for and believe in?

Maybe they heard a lot of preaching about judgement and Hell but not so much about Heaven?

I think a lot of people today feel the same way.

They focus on the NEGATIVE Not the POSITIVE.

In Matthew 13:31-32

Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed. It’s the smallest of all seeds but it grows into the largest of all herbs and becomes a tree. For some people the notion of Heaven is a small matter in fact it is often such a small matter to them that they barely give it consideration.

That’s too bad for while it may be a small idea to them it is the greatest idea concerning eternity.

Heaven is and shall ever be God’s Kingdom. We do well to give Heaven serious consideration instead of just a passing thought.

Jesus went on to another parable after this and compared the Kingdom of Heaven to yeast or leaven.

Even though the woman separated her dough into three separate piles the yeast still worked its way through all of them.

The idea of Heaven works its way into every culture like the way that yeast works its way through the whole dough.

Even in Communist China the Gospel of Jesus is being told and shared and people are coming to faith.

Jesus was the only one to come from Heaven and so it stands to reason He is the best authority on it.

Sadly many people doubt what Jesus has to say about Heaven.

John 3:12

If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

John 3:13

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Bible students know that there are three Heavens, the first is the sky above us and then the heaven that is outer space and then above all that is God’s Heaven His throne room, His Kingdom.

The Hebrew language used a word for Heaven that means “heights”. God’s Heaven is the highest of these heights.

Heaven is not a place on earth but sometimes we get a little taste of Heaven when we see the birth of a child or fall in love and get married or we are healed from a sickness or we are close to God when we pray or worship Him.

Those God moments give us a glimpse of Heaven. But they will pale in comparison to the real thing.

We really, really need those kinds of moments in our lives today.

Sometimes living here in this world can seem more like the other place than Heaven.

In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus tells us how we can find relief from the pressing problems in our lives. Here Jesus tells us of a widow who is constantly bothered by someone who is constantly making life hard for her.

Frankly we all have that same adversary trying to disrupt our lives too.

In the parable Jesus says the woman went to get relief from a hard hearted Judge who constantly put her off. But because of her unrelenting persistence the Judge finally gave in and listened to her case. Jesus said if a hard hearted Judge gave in to this persistent widow how much more so will our Heavenly Father relive the burden of those who are His and call out to Him in times of need?

Sometimes we may need to be persistent in asking God to relieve us from our adversary. Don’t give up on seeking relief from God. He loves you and will hear your prayers as they enter His Throne room in Heaven. Jesus is there to present our prayers and requests to God.

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest [a great Intercessor], that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God…Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:14, 16

Keep the faith dear ones, even in these sometimes difficult days that we live in.

Be persistent in your faith because Heaven will be worth it all, turn your thoughts to Heaven when earth seems an unpleasant place.

Amen.