1 Heaven is Real
Revelation 21:1-5; Matthew 6 9-13; Luke 11: 2-4
Welcome to the 3rd installment of our summer sermon series about the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus gave this example of effective prayer to us in response to some of his disciples striking up a conversation with him about prayer.
We don’t know exactly why they picked this time and place to talk to Jesus about meaningful prayer. Maybe it was because they saw something lacking in their own prayer times that sparked an interest. Maybe it was because Jesus prayed to the Father on a totally different level than they did.
Whatever the reason, Jesus, on two separate occasions outlines what effective prayer looks like. One example is in Matthew 6, the other in Luke 11. And even though those two prayers are similar, they’re also different, because one point Jesus makes is not to get hung up on the words. He says pay closer attention to the attitude behind them. His prayer is a template not a mandate.
So he starts with showing us that God is someone approachable and full of grace and that we’re all joined together in the family of God with just two words: “Our Father.”
And then Jesus continues to direct our focus on the Father by pointing us to the eternal home of God and the eternal home of everyone who follows him – “heaven.” Our Father in heaven.
So right from the start, Jesus lets us know that heaven is real and it’s going on right now. And if we take a look at what the Bible says about heaven, we’ll discover that It’s also a place that’s under construction. 2 Jesus said, “2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:2-3 NIV
And with the current state of affairs in the world, the prospect of heaven seems to be getting closer and closer! But that aside, Jesus said that heaven is real. It’s a place of righteousness. And it’s a place that’s highly relational. And I want to go there someday.
One time, a Sunday School teacher just finished talking to her class of elementary students all about Heaven, then she asked, “Well, how many of you want to go to Heaven?” Of course, everyone raised their hands…except for one boy.
“William,” she said, “you don’t want to go to Heaven someday?” And he said, “Oh yes ma’am. Someday. I just thought you were taking up a load right now!”
According to a recent Gallup Poll (conducted for U.S. News and World Report,) as many as 81% of Americans believe that Heaven exists (and as many as 78% believe they have a good or excellent chance of going there), but few of us know what to expect when we get there. And I suspect that a few of us might even have some doubts about whether or not we really are going there.
Maybe the success of books about near-death experiences like, “Heaven is for Real,” or “90 Minutes in Heaven,” reveals an innate longing to know what lies beyond our exit from planet earth. But rather than rely on the unreliable experiences of others; maybe we ought to find some answers in Scripture so we’re not as apprehensive or as unsure about eternity. After all, God lives there and he loves us so why should we be uneasy or even worried about going there?
I think that one of the most vivid, expressive descriptions of Heaven is found in Revelation 21—the second to last chapter of the Bible:
3 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new! And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:1-5 NLT)
As with so much of this apocalyptic book, this passage is full of imagery and symbolism. But I believe the picture it paints gives us glimpse of Heaven’s glory and highlights three important features that will make Heaven more than we can imagine.
4 First, this passage reminds us that HEAVEN IS REAL.
Jesus said, “Our Father in heaven.” And John wrote it down straight from the mouth of God, “What I am telling you is true.”
So Heaven will be as real as the soil in our garden, as tangible as the pew sitting there in front of you. When Christ comes, the heavens and earth as we know them will disappear. God said it himself, “Look, I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5 NLT). He will purge, cleanse, and then reconstruct His universe.
Centuries before John’s vision, God told Isaiah, “Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!” (Isaiah 65:17-18 NLT).
John’s description of the holy city, the New Jerusalem, descending from Heaven to Earth symbolizes the blending of these two worlds. It shouldn’t be difficult for Christians to imagine a world where Heaven and Earth are one; after all, we have the perfect parallel in Jesus Christ.
Just as God and mankind will be forever united through Jesus, so Heaven and Earth will be forever united in the new universe. God’s plan is to abolish the gulf between the spiritual and physical worlds. There will be no divided loyalties or divided realities. There will be one universe united under one Lord—forever.
John describes the New Heaven as a place that will have rivers, trees, foundations of precious jewels, gates made of pearl, streets of gold, and mountains. (it’s in Revelation 21-22)—a place of sensory delight and breathtaking beauty. Nothing compares with God’s crowning jewel: the New Jerusalem. Christ will dwell in a city unlike any the earth has ever seen.
And heaven is not just beautiful; it’s big too. The Bible says it’s an exact square of 12,000 stadia (1400 miles). Large enough to contain all the land mass from the Appalachians to the California coast — Canada to Mexico. Forty times the size of England, ten times the size of France, and larger than India.
If a building in downtown Pittsburgh had those dimensions, and has (let’s say) 12 feet per story, the building would be over 600,000 stories! Heaven is big and Jesus is preparing a place for us with ample space—room for all God’s people.
And after hearing these majestic descriptions and colorful word pictures, we might wonder, “John, why not just tell us plainly what Heaven is like?” And maybe this story will help us understand it a little better.
Years ago, a baby girl was born and her parents named her Mary. After several weeks, however, they noticed that she seemed to be having trouble with her vision.
So they scheduled an appointment with the doctor and the ophthalmologist told them, “Mary is rapidly losing her sight. She’ll likely be completely blind before her first birthday. But it’s possible that when she’s older, an operation could be done to restore her sight.”
So for several years, Mary learned to live in the dark. She and her parents adapted quite well and together they overcame Mary’s challenges and obstacles. And they anxiously awaited the day when Mary’s eyes would be opened again.
Finally, the day arrived and the surgery was performed. Mary’s bandages were removed just as the sun was setting behind the mountains outside her window. And it was against that backdrop that she saw her parents for the first time.
And you can imagine the sight brought tears to her eyes and she asked her parents, “Why didn’t you tell me the world is so beautiful?” Mary’s mom said, “I tried to tell you Mary, but I just didn’t know how.”
And the point is that words fall short. And if we’re inadequate to describe the beauty of this world, how much more inadequate are we to try to describe the next? I think John tried to put it into terms we can understand. But regardless of what it actually looks like, it will be Heaven on Earth—in the most literal sense. Heaven is real.
The second characteristic of Heaven highlighted in John’s vision is it will be righteous place.
•5 HEAVEN IS RIGHTEOUS
John describes the New Jerusalem as the “holy city…coming down from God.” Heaven will be just that—holy! It will be good and perfect. Peter described it like this, “But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13 NLT).
Heaven will be home to all that is good and right. As Christians, we anticipate a day when all of creation is covered with the love, peace and joy of Jesus. The coming of Christ will signal the total abolition of sin, suffering and sorrow.
In fact, as John witnesses the melding of Heaven and Earth, he hears a loud voice saying that, “God…will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4 NLT).
One of the greatest blessings of Heaven is what won’t be there. No death, disease, or divorce. No trials, tribulation, or turmoil. No funeral homes, abortion clinics, rape, missing children, or drug addiction. No bigotry, no muggings or killings. No worry or depression or economic downturns. No wars, no unemployment. Close friendships without cliques, laughter but no put-downs. Intimacy, but no temptation for immorality. No hidden agendas, no backroom deals, no betrayals or church politics. The absence of every kind of evil.
And without the presence of evil, the New Heaven and New Earth will be like nothing we’ve ever experienced. Christ will have completed his redemptive work. And He will suction the last drop of ugliness from the most remote corners of our souls.
Since Heaven is the home of righteousness and we’re living there—guess what that means? That means we’ll be made forever righteous too. No one will doubt our word, question our motives, or speak evil behind our backs. We will be the person we’ve always longed to be.
John MacArthur said: “Heaven is the perfect place for people made perfect.” One thing is for sure: we’re going to love it. Heaven is a perfect place of perfected people with our perfect Lord. It is a place that will be all things righteous.
And then, finally, Heaven is relational.
• 6 HEAVEN IS RELATIONAL
Eternal life will be heavenly because of who we get to spend it with. Listen to this: From the throne of God, John heard a divine voice proclaim, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them” (Revelation 21:3 NLT).
The very best part of Heaven will be seeing God – seeing the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit face to face – to interact with them personally. What we have only seen in our thoughts by faith, we will see first-hand with our own eyes. What we’ve struggled to imagine, we will be free to experience personally in real time. What we’ve seen in a glimpse, we will see in full view.
Imagine finally beginning to get a handle on how God is one in three persons. Imagine exploring the depths of God’s love, wisdom, and holiness. Imagine forever growing in our capacities to fathom his immensity, his permanence, and his omnipresence.
And to top it all off, the more we come to know him, the more there will be to know. Endless attributes await us. His grace will be increasingly stunning, his wisdom will be progressively astounding, and perfection will forever more sharpen into focus. God so immersed in wonders that their viewing requires an eternity.
Never again will God feel distant. His home will be our home. No longer will he be “Our Father in heaven” because Jesus promised, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am” (John 14:1-3 NCV).
In The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis, the characters who have lived in Narnia have completed their time and work there. In a closing chapter, Aslan—the lion who represents Jesus—has come for them to take them home. They are headed away from Narnia and are about to enter Aslan’s land. When they do, they are met with familiar scenes.
One of the characters cries out: “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this.”
Maybe we’ll feel the same way when Christ comes again.
We really don’t know for sure if Don Piper actually spent 90 Minutes in Heaven or if Colton Burpo really sat in Jesus’ lap. When it comes to near-death experiences the lines between dream and reality are often blurry. But when it comes to Scripture, we can be certain. We can rely on God’s Word to reveal what we could never otherwise know.
So, Heaven is real. It’s the home of righteousness. And, Heaven is relational—a place filled with real people enjoying the love and fellowship of a real, righteous, and relational God.
And if you aren’t sure where you’re headed when our time comes to enter eternity—if Heaven will be your eternal home—then please listen to these words from John: 7 He said, “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5: 12-13 NIV)
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the promise of heaven. We know it’s going to be more and better than anything we’ve imagined and we look forward to spending eternity together with the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and with all followers of Jesus who’ve reached eternity before we have.
Thank you for making a clear pathway to heaven through Jesus Christ. Help us to follow him and hang on his every word until the day we meet face to face for all eternity. Help us to keep growing in the knowledge and grace of Jesus and to follow him completely and fully.
And now, as we move into our time of Communion, we approach the table with reverence to honor the one who gave so much so we could be with our father in heaven, Jesus Christ.
As we eat the bread and drink from the cup, we remember how on the night that You were betrayed You took a piece of bread, and blessed it and broke it, and gave it to Your disciples and said. “eat this in remembrance of Me.”
We also remember how You then took the cup and told them. “this is the new covenant in My blood, do this in remembrance of Me.
So as we eat and drink, we give you praise and glory for your sacrifice and for saving us.
