INTRODUCTION
1. (eg) What will we do in Heaven? Harps and Halos?
• Is Heaven just playing harps all day, singing hymns all day, everyday, forever and ever and ever?
• If it’s a harp – I want mine to be an electric harp…
2. (eg) In a "Far Side" cartoon -- A man with angel wings and a halo sits on a cloud, doing nothing. He has the expression of someone marooned on a desert island, with nothing to do.
• A caption shows his inner thoughts: "Wish I’d brought a magazine."
• Is Heaven going to be like a Golden, shiny, Eternal retirement village? Are we just going to sing all the time?
3. ????(eg) There were two guys who were huge baseball fans and their ongoing argument was, "Will there be baseball in heaven?" Because they knew if there wasn’t baseball in heaven, they would not be happy.
• So they made an agreement, that whoever went first, he’d find some way to let the other one know if there was baseball in heaven.
• Well, eventually one of them dies -- and sure enough, in a time of prayer, the one in Heaven is allowed to visit his praying friend…
• So How is it? Heaven is Awesome! Just like Dennis said – far better than anything you’d ever expect!
• Great – so is there baseball in Heaven?"
• And his buddy said, "Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is THERE IS baseball in heaven. The bad news is you’re pitching Friday."
See that’s how all the misconceptions about heaven get started…
4. The devil is a liar and the father of all lies AND The devil has deceived so many to think… Heaven is boring and Hell’s not so bad.
• Why? The devil was kicked out of Heaven and will be cast into the Final Hell…
• What will never be his is now ours and he’s ticked off…
• (eg) like a selfish child – If I can’t have it – no one can…
• The devil hates God – all that God created and all that God loves and is seeking to destroy all that God created and all that God loves…
• The devil hates you… so one of the devil’s lies is – Heaven’s boring and Hell’s not so bad.
5. But as we know – Hell is an Awful Place!
• Hades and Hell are far worse than anything we’ve known, or experienced or could even imagine in this life.
• AND No one in Hades would ever want anyone to experience what they are experiencing. No one in Hell would ever want anyone to know what they know.
6. Heaven is an Awesome Place!
• Heaven is far better than anything we’ve known, experienced, loved or even could imagine in this life. This life is good – but Heaven is far better.
7. Heaven is Far better and Far more…
• As I read the Scriptures, with my limited understanding, and our finite grasp -- I get this impression that Heaven will be a continuous – but wait, there’s more!!!
• With every step, In every turn, with every experience, with every sensation – but wait – there’s more…
• Heaven is Far better and there will be far more than what we now know, now understand or could now even imagine…
• Anything that’s said today, ADD “AND it will be far better and far more than this!!!”
8. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 – 9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"— 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. We know it! We feel it! We sense it!
• When we read the words of Scripture - These are just glimpses of His Glory! Just a Peek at His Perfection! Just a Taste of His Transcendence! Just a Bit of His Beauty! Just a Moment of His Majesty!
9. Heaven is an Awesome Place! We know that! We believe that! We understand that! But let’s ask this question - In this Awesome Place – What’s our Place? What will we do in Heaven?
• We may not know all of the details… to know Heaven fully, we’ll have to experience Heaven personally… but here are some things we know…
Revelation 21:1-7 --- 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
In Heaven, we will be Rejoicing!
1. There is nothing better and there will never be anything better than this!
2. Joy to the Max! Joy to the Fullest degree!
• The best of our Joy here will be Incredibly Infinite there! Any Joy will be Perfect and Pure Joy there! Far more! Far better!
• Revelation 21:4-5 -- 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
• Pure Joy! Perfect Joy! All Joy! All the time!
3. Heaven is a Celebration! We will Celebrate ALL that God is, ALL that God has done
• We will celebrate ALL that God has Promised; All that God has Prepared for us!
• With so much Blessing there is no way Heaven could ever be boring!
4. We will Rejoice in WHO God is! We will Rejoice in WHAT God has done!
• Let’s get a glimpse of His Glory and our Worship Celebration of God on His throne… (Revelation 4 and 5)
5. Revelation 4:3-11 -- 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
6. Revelation 5:9 – 9 And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" 14 The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
7. Don’t confuse your worst images of going to Church and singing, and praying and preaching for 62 minutes on a Sunday… as the Joyful Celebration of Heaven!
• Our Joy and our Worship and our Celebration will be far better and far more… than anything we’ve experienced or known in this life!
8. We will Rejoice in His Greatness! We will Rejoice in His Goodness! We will Rejoice in His Grace! ADD another -- We will Rejoice in His Glory!
9. And because God is Omnipresent – everywhere at the same time…throughout ALL of Heaven, every activity, everything we do will be full of Worship and Celebration and Joy! He will be our Constant focus in all we are and in all we do!
10. In Luke 15, Jesus tells 3 stories about Lost things that were found… a Lost sheep, a Lost coin and a Lost Son… When something lost and then found – there is rejoicing and Jesus says -- Luke 15:10 -- In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
• If there rejoicing over a sinner on earth who repents – Can you imagine the rejoicing when these repentant sinners make it Home?
• Heaven is a Prepared Place; Perfect Place; Promised Place; a Permanent Place – Let me tell you – Heaven is a Party Place!
• God created pleasure and He created this Eternal Pleasure! And God invites us to the Party! To Enter into His Joy forever and ever and ever!
In Heaven, we will be Rewarded!
1. (eg) This last week, I read about Henry Morrison. Henry and his wife served as Missionaries to Africa for decades were now returning to New York to retire. They had no retirement plan, their health was poor, they were a bit worried and discouraged.
• It just so happened that President Teddy Roosevelt was on the same ship returning from one of his African hunting expeditions.
• As Roosevelt stepped off the ship, the crowds were cheering, the band was playing, flags were waving, reporters were waiting…
• Henry and his wife slowly walked off the ship unnoticed. They hailed a cab, which took them to the one bedroom apartment provided by the mission board.
• Some time later – Henry said something like this to his wife – “You know, something is wrong. We’ve given our lives in service to God in Africa all these years and no one cares a thing about us. Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes a big fuss over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us.”
• “I can’t take this, God is not treating us fairly.” His wife replied, “Why don’t you go talk to God about it?
• Henry went to his bedroom, got down on his knees and prayed.
• After about 10 minutes, Henry came back into the living room with a peaceful look on his face. His wife said – “It looks like you resolved the matter, what happened?”
• “I told God how bitter I was that the President received this tremendous homecoming, but no one even came to the dock to meet us when we returned home.”
• When I finished complaining, it seemed as if the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said, “But Henry, you’re not Home yet!” (Ken Ritz – What Will Heaven Be Like? Sermoncentral.com and other places)
2. Revelation 21:7 -- He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
• Not only do we get Heaven as a Reward – we will receive Rewards in Heaven!
• Jesus says -- Revelation 22:12-13 – 12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
3. ????? In Matthew 25 – Jesus tells a story about how we are to be faithful till He comes again… The story is about a Master who goes away on a long journey entrusting His servants to manage His property and His finances. After a long time, the Master comes back to settle accounts…
• 1 servant did nothing – and was considered wicked and lazy and worthless...
• 2 of the servants were faithful with what they had been given and the Master says to them… ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:21
4. Heaven’s Reward ceremony, the Judgment Seat of Christ, will be like a great Awards Banquet. And Everything done in this life for the glory of God will be mentioned and noted! Every Good deed will be honored and rewarded.
• And EVERYONE will congratulate EACH one… We will celebrate each achievement! Every act of Faith! Each Good deed!
• Any Rewards we receive will reflect the Glory God deserves!
• And All our crowns will be placed at His throne…
In Heaven, we will be Reunited!
1. United with the Lord! And Reunited with those who we know Love Jesus and have Lived faithfully for Him! Heaven is our Forever Home-there’s no place like this Home!
2. (eg) One of the things I’m looking forward to doing in Heaven -- is tracking down every person who the Lord used in bring me to Christ…
• I’m talking about tracking it back – a spiritual genealogy – of all those God used to get me here!
• Searching to say, Thank You! I want to say – Thank You! Thank you for being faithful! Thank you for Loving the Lord! Thanks you for never giving up…
• Because if this faith-chain would have ever been broken, I might not be here!
• Thank you for sharing your faith with them and they shared their faith with them and they shared their faith with them… and they shared their faith with me!
• And I want to track it as far back as I can… And I want to hear their stories… How God blessed them and how God used them…
3. (eg) And then I’m gonna search for all of those who helped me; and stretched me and loved me, and prayed for me and served me and ALL those who did the same for them – and I want to say, Thank you!
• Because - I am who I am and I am where I should be because of you…
• I’m here because of you!!! Because you were faithful to God – I’m here!
4. ????? -- (eg) North American Christian Convention is the 1st week in July. This year, the Convention is Louisville. It’s a conference with Inspiring Worship and Informational Workshops. Thousands of Christians will come together! The NACC has the nickname of the Connecting Place… several of our PRCC families go most every year!
• We always get to see people we know and people we love that often we don’t get to see very often.
• Families from Churches we’ve served with; Students I had in college; Friends we went to college with – the people we love and people who love us…
• At best, you may attend a workshop together or sit together in Worship service or maybe get a meal with them or stay up late at night just catching up…
• But usually you just get a few moments to greet each other, get a hug and catch up… how can you share years of experiences in 2 minutes or less?
• there’s just not enough time…
5. In Heaven – We will be together and we will have time to be together.
• Can you imagine sitting down together with the faithful you’ve read and heard about in the Bible…
• Daniel – what was it like be thrown in the lion’s den? Noah – tell us about the ARK and all the animals? Peter – tell me about walking on water? David – what was it like to face the giant Goliath with God? Moses – what were you really thinking when you held up your staff and the Red Sea parted right in front of you?
• There are so many faithful in the Bible – we’ve never even heard about…
• And on and on goes this list - imagine the people you will get to be reunited with…
6. In Heaven – we will be together and we will have time to be together – because time will now be Eternity… can you imagine setting up appointments to meet a thousand years from now? And time won’t matter… because we’ll have all the time in the world – because this new world will be Heaven! We will never again have to say, Goodbye!
In Heaven, we will have Responsibilities!
1. Revelation 22:3 – 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. NIV
2. In Heaven – we will Worship and we will Work! You get a sense there is work to do…
• There seems to be continuity between the very beginning in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 1 & 2 and in The New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation 21 and 22…
• By God’s design and desire – the Garden of Eden was given to Adam and Eve. And they were to take care of it – work it, rule it, enjoy it. It was theirs…
• Work in Eden was full of Pleasure and Delight and Joy and Fulfillment and Significance and Satisfaction!
• Some of you know that today – you love what you do because you do what you love – and it’s ALL for God!
• It was sin and the curse that made work full of sweat, arduous and difficult and lack-luster…
• In Heaven – our work, our serving will be nothing like that at all!
• We were created with Purpose and for Purpose – to do the good works God has planned for and created us to do.
3. In Heaven -- We will have sharp minds and strong resurrected bodies throughout all of eternity.
• We will be Constantly learning and discovering and exploring and creating
• Using all of the talents, all of the skills, all of the gifts He has given to us!
• God will unleash in us our fullest potential… And using all of that in Serving God! We will be Busy and we will never Bored!
4. Jesus has Prepared this for you --- You will be in the Perfect Place doing the Perfect Work you were Perfectly created to do and that Perfect work will bring Perfect Praise to your Perfect Heavenly Father!
• Heaven’s work will be far better and far more than anything we’ve ever done here!
• There is nothing else you would rather be doing than what you will be doing in Heaven – right then and right there!
• Unlimited Resources and Unlimited Time to do what we could never fully do here
In Heaven, we will Rest!
1. Not sleeping all of the time… True Rest… God’s rest…
• In the Fullest of Heaven, the New Heaven and the New Earth – we will have New, Resurrected bodies… bodies without the limits, bodies without the curse of sin…
2. Revelation 14:13 -- Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."
3. ???? The Apostle Paul is coming down to the end of his life and gives this testimpony -- 2 Timothy 4:6-8 – 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
4. In this life of Faith – we fight the good fight, we run the race… In Heaven - Now it’s done! Now - It’s finished. Now – You can be in Perfect Peace.
• Now - You celebrate the win! Now – You’ve crossed the finish line.
5. All of the Stress, the Worry, the Struggles, the Grief, the Battling with our Sin, the Resisting our Temptations, all of the Conflict, all of the disappointments, all of the fears, all the suffering, all the sickness, all the pain, all the Holding on, All of the Never giving up…
• It’s all over! It all gone! It’s all finished! It’s all worth it! Perfect Rest in Him…
CONCLUSION – Heaven is an Awesome Place! I don’t think I’m even close in describing what Heaven will be like and what we’ll do in Heaven. I am sure Heaven’s Activities are Far Better and there are Far more! At best – all of this is an understatement of how wonderful Heaven will be!
Here’s a Reality – for some, this Life on this earth is the closest they will ever get to Hell… For many, this Life on this earth is the closest they will ever get to Heaven…
What’s Next is determined by What’s Now?
Live for Jesus now and you will live with Jesus then…
