SERMON BRIEF
Date Written: February 2003
Date Preached: February 2003
Church: BBC (PM) Wednesday
FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS
Series: What the Bible Says…
Title: About the Heaven
Text: Revelation 21:1-4; 22:1-5
Introduction:
All believers look fwd to spending all of eternity in heaven with Jesus Christ! And it is only natural for those believers to wonder or have a healthy curiosity about what this heaven will be like.
Understandably, the Bible are very symbolic in its descriptions of heaven. This is true b/c the Bible has to use ‘earthly’ language to describe something that is heavenly and NOT of this world.
Most of what the Bible says about heaven has to be recognized in its symbolic and figurative setting. The writers, under the inspiration of the HS, were simply using the most exquisite language that they knew to portray heaven.
Some concentrated on the characteristics of heaven that parallel the material and physical nature of earth… things such as ‘streets of gold’ ‘walls of jasper’ or ‘gates of pearl.’
Heaven is a place of spiritual dwelling and in heaven material ‘things’ carry no special weight. So the purpose of tonight’s study is to emphasize the spiritual nature of heaven and not necessarily its physical properties.
The 1st thing I want us to look at this evening is WHO is going to be there. Let’s look at the inhabitants of heaven. First of all, we can know that God will be there. Looking at 1 Kings 8:30 we can read, “…Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, YOUR dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive…’
2nd we can see that Jesus Christ is going to be there. In John 14 we find Jesus telling His disciples that He was going to prepare a place (Heaven) and that He would come and get His disciples… that where HE was they will be also.
3rd we can also know that the HS will be there as well. We know that there is NO place in all of creation that we can go to get away from God’s Spirit. The HS will be in heaven as well.
We can also know that the OTHER created beings that we have heard about all our lives will be there as well… The Angels will be there too! Look with me at Matt 18:10, “…See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in Heaven…”
Finally we can know that the children of God will also be citizens of heaven! This is the ‘place’ that Jesus promised in John 14 that he is going to come back and take all of his followers to…
We have seen who is going to be living in heaven, but I want us to also know and look at some things that are NOT going to be in heaven.
In looking at Scripture (read Matt 22:30) we can see that the institution of marriage will not be there. In fact it seems that there won’t even be any family type relationships as well. We will all be happy and content in the presence of our creator and will not need these other things for our joy, peace and happiness.
Another thing that will NOT be in heaven is the institution of DEATH. We will never have to worry about the termination of ours or other lives. Let’s look at Luke 20:36.
Another thing we can put out of our minds b/c it will NOT be in heaven is ‘flesh and blood’ bodies. We will have new bodies, but according to Paul in 1 Cor 15:50 they will be bodies of a different origin and type.
“…what I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These perishable bodies of ours are NOT able to live forever…”
That also shares with us another thing that will NOT be with us in heaven and that is corruption or deterioration. Nothing is going to corrupt and nothing is going to deteriorate away.
In heaven there is going to be NO weariness. When Adam sinned in the garden and God cursed him to toil the ground and he would do this by the sweat of his brow…If you have ever toiled by the sweat of your brow, you know what weariness is… and in heaven there will be NO weariness.
In 2 Cor 5:1-10 we find the apostle Paul describing how in heaven we will not grow tired. (read verses)
Let’s turn to Rev 7:17 (have someone read) we find in this passage that there will be no more SORROW… in heaven we will have NO sorrow to bring us down.
Turn to Rev 21:4 (have someone read) and we again can find that in this passage that John is indicating that in heaven there will be NO pain. We will no longer experience pain of ANY sort once we are in the physical presence of God.
Turn to Rev 22:5 (have someone read) and we can see that there is going to be NO more night. The night has long been associated with evil and pain and loneliness. But in heaven we won’t have to worry about the night… b/c the night NEVER comes!
In 22:15 we can also see something else that is NOT going to be in heaven (have someone read) there is NOT going to be any WICKED PEOPLE in heaven. No one to do things against God, no one to try to influence our praise to God, and no one to inflict their wicked desires or intent upon us… we will be delivered forever from the wickedness of this world.
Finally I want us to turn to Matt 25:46 and see what Christ had to say about the end of the age and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. (have someone read) Jesus is saying here that in heaven we are not going to have to wonder “when is this going to end…” Because it will NEVER end… our joy is going to be eternal.
We have looked at what is GOING to be there and we have also looked at what the Bible tells us that will NOT be there. Heaven is going to be a great and wonderful place but tonight I want us to look at some of the characteristics of heaven as well.
Turn with me to Luke 15:7,10. (read passage) Here we can find that there is going to be unending joy when we reach the heavenly realm. In the next chapter Luke 16:25 (read passage) we also find Jesus speaking of how heaven will be characterized by the peace that only can come from being in the presence of God.
In the book of Rev 14:13 we can also see another characteristic of heaven (read passage) That characteristic is that we will have the rest we never could achieve here on this planet. God’s presence and Spirit will give our souls eternal rest and rejuvenation.
In the book of 2 Peter 3:13 (read passage) we can also find that heaven is characterized by being a place of righteousness. This is a result of being in the presence of God whose very character is love and righteousness.
Another characteristic of heaven is that it is going to be a place of great reward for all who make it there. Let’s read Matt 5:11-12. “…God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about b/c you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted too…”
For all who have been faithful to God in this life here on earth, God is going to richly reward in heaven. This is NOT speaking of salvation, but of rewards for obedience AFTER salvation.
In Rev 7:15 we can also find another characteristic of heaven. We find that Heaven offers opportunity for service. (read passage) It is NOT a place where we will sit around and ‘twiddle’ our thumbs.
We will not be ‘floating around for all eternity on a fleecy white cloud’ and strumming a harp. We will be praising and giving glory to God and we will be in service to Him.
Finally tonight I want us to look at the characteristic of heaven that is OUR INHERITANCE! (Read 1 Pet 1:3-5) We are going to receive our inheritance from God himself b/c we have become part of the family of God… we are now sons and daughters of the almighty and he is going to give His kingdom to us.
Now we can see that the Bible gives believers today just a small taste of what Heaven is going to be like. As believers, we should always seek after and earnestly anticipate our eternal home.
We should do this b/c we need to understand that it will be a place so far superior and above what we have now on earth or that we could ever imagine while here on earth.
We should look for the coming of this new heaven and new earth, and we must realize that it is going to be this great and wonderful thing that we cannot even imagine now.
