Introduction
Video Ill.: Heaven Is the Hope - Matthew West
Heaven is the hope we hold on to.
What We Believe About Our Future Controls How We Experience Our Present
Source: Tim Keller, Making Sense of God (Viking, 2016), page 153
https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2017/march/6032717.html
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Imagine you have two women of the same age, the same socioeconomic status, the same educational level, and even the same temperament. You hire both of them and say to each, "You are part of an assembly line, and I want you to put part A into slot B and then hand what you have assembled to someone else. I want you to do that over and over for eight hours a day." You put them in identical rooms with identical lighting, temperature, and ventilation. You give them the very same number of breaks in a day. It is very boring work. Their conditions are the same in every way—except for one difference. You tell the first woman that at the end of the year you will pay her thirty thousand dollars, and you tell the second woman that at the end of the year you will pay her thirty million.
After a couple of weeks the first woman will be saying, "Isn't this tedious? Isn't it driving you insane? Aren't you thinking about quitting?" And the second woman will say. "No. This is perfectly acceptable. In fact, I whistle while I work." What is going on? You have two human beings who are experiencing identical circumstances in radically different ways. What makes the difference? It is their expectation of the future. This illustration is not intended to say that all we need is a good income. It does, however, show that what we believe about our future completely controls how we are experiencing our present. We are irreducibly hope-based creatures.
CS Lewis said, “If you live for the next world, you get this one in the deal; but if you live only for this world, you lose them both.”
For what are we living? The bigger house? The bigger income? The more expensive car?
Or are we living — longing — for something truly better?
We are hope-based creatures. God instilled in us the longing for something better — the hope for something better — the desire for something better.
All Cultures Long for Heaven
Source: Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Tyndale, 2004)
https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2006/december/6120406.html
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That hope grows into the sense that we will live forever. That idea has shaped every civilization in human history. Australian aborigines pictured Heaven as a distant island beyond the western horizon. The early Finns thought it was a distant island in the far away east. Mexicans, Peruvians, and Polynesians believed that they went to the sun or the moon after death. Native Americans believed that, in the afterlife, their spirits would hunt the spirits of buffalo.
The Gilgamesh epic, an ancient Babylonian legend, refers to a resting place of heroes and hints at a tree of life. In the pyramids of Egypt, the embalmed bodies had maps placed beside them as guides to the future world. The Romans believed that the righteous would picnic in the Elysian Fields, while their horses grazed nearby. Seneca, the Roman philosopher, said, "The day thou fearest as the last is the birthday of eternity."
Although these depictions of the afterlife differ, the unifying testimony of the human heart throughout history is belief in life after death. Anthropological evidence suggests that every culture has a God-given, innate sense of the eternal—that this world is not all there is.
Hope.
It’s at the heart of the matter. Hope. As we are waiting for Jesus’ return, are we filled with hope or filled with fear?
In Jesus, we should find our hope. In Him we find our future. In Him we gain life — eternal life. Heaven is that for which we hope.
As we begin this morning, let’s look at what Heaven is.
First, Heaven is real.
Is Heaven Real?
By Tim Smith
Copied from Sermon Central
The Bible uses the word heaven 532 times. The Hebrew word for "heaven" is shamayim and is plural meaning "heights," "elevations." It is found in the first verse of the Bible. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" and in Gen 2:1 "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array." The phrase "heavens and earth" refers to the whole universe (Genesis 1:1; Jeremiah 23:24; Acts 17:24).
But according to the Jewish belief and the OT, there were three heavens, all created by God. The first is our atmosphere and sky. The Scriptures speak of God opening the doors of heaven to provide food or rain. (Psalms 78: 23,Gen. 7:11-12, Deut. 11:17, 28:12, Mal. 3:10) The second is outer space, the Bible calls it firmament, and includes the sun, moon, and stars. (Genesis 1:17, Psalm 19:4,6) The third heaven is where God dwells and is located beyond the space and stars. Jesus called it the "Father's house" but he also called it paradise when he promised it to the thief hanging on the cross next to him. Paul also uses the word paradise to refer to the third heaven. (2 Corinthians 12:4) This is where God's throne is located. Jesus is also there as are the angels. In fact, there are myriads of angels and heavenly beings serving the Lord in various ways. And finally, the saints of God who died on this earth are in heaven enjoying "everlasting life."
Is heaven real? Twice in three verses, Jesus calls heaven a place and so it is a real place, just as real as the place you call home.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/11/23/views-on-the-afterlife/
Pew Research
Views on the Afterlife
According to a 2021 survey by Pew Research, Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults say they believe in heaven. (The survey did not immediately offer a definition of heaven, though subsequent questions explored what respondents think heaven is like.)
While most U.S. adults also believe in hell, this belief is less widespread than belief in heaven. Roughly six-in-ten American adults (62%) say they believe in hell, though once again there are notable differences across subgroups of the population.
Roughly a quarter of all U.S. adults (26%) say that they do not believe in heaven or hell, including 7% who say they do believe in some kind of afterlife and 17% who do not believe in any afterlife at all.
Respondents who believe in neither heaven nor hell but do still believe in an afterlife were asked: “In your own words, what do you think the afterlife is like?”
Within this group, about one-in-five people (21%) express belief in an afterlife where one’s spirit, consciousness or energy lives on after their physical body has passed away, or in a continued existence in an alternate dimension or reality. One respondent describes their view as “a resting place for our spirits and energy. I don’t think it’s like the traditional view of heaven but I’m also not sure that death is the end.” And another says, “I believe that life continues and after my current life is done, I will go on in some other form. It won’t be me, as in my traits and personality, but something of me will carry on.”
As one individual puts it, “Maybe something like nirvana or enlightenment? I like to imagine that the living world we inhabit is like a cradle for the soul. We spend our lifetime (or maybe many lifetimes) learning and growing, and then in the afterlife we retain all those memories from our life(/lives), and the lessons we’ve learned, and that we exist for some greater purpose that living prepares us for.”
These things do not sound like much to anticipate. What hope would we have in these? No wonder so many Americans are putting their hope and faith in the things of this world.
But you know, the Heaven I read about in Scripture truly is something better — something to anticipate — something for which to long!
B. Heaven is beautiful!
The Apostle John was given the opportunity to see what Heaven would be like. In Revelation 21, he tells us what he saw. Starting with verse 9:
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. || 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, || three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was || laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man’s measurement, which the angel was using. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and || the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, (kal - seh- duh - nee) the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the || ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase (cry - so - praise), the eleventh jacinth (ja - sinth), and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. (Revelation 21, NIV1984)
Gold in Heaven
By Derrick Tuper
Copied from Sermon Central
There’s an old story about a rich man who was worried that he could take none of his riches to heaven. He pleaded with God to make an exception. Finally, God said, "Okay, whatever you can fit into a garbage bag can be brought into Heaven."
The man immediately thought of gold. He joyfully went and spent his time accumulating gold. Then, it came time for him to die. He went to the pearly gates, black garbage bag filled with gold in tow. When the angels questioned him about the bag the man declared that God allowed it.
When it was confirmed, they asked him if they could see what was so special inside this bag. The man proudly opened the bag to show them its contents. The angels looked at each other in bewilderment. Then one of them asked the man, "Why did you bring pavement?"
Gold is a hot commodity here on earth, but in heaven it's only pavement.
It really makes us consider our priorities. Are we trying to collect eternal pavement, or eternal life?
Hopefully the latter so that we can enjoy the beauty that Heaven will be.
C. Heaven is being in the eternal presence of God.
One of the most wonderful things about Heaven is that we will for eternity be in the presence of God Himself. We will see Jesus.
John describes it this way in the first part of Revelation 21:
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.” (Revelation 21, NIV1984)
For all of the time that we are living on this earth, we cannot see, we cannot physically feel, we cannot actually touch Jesus. We have to live by faith. But there, once we get over there, we will be in His presence. Our faith will have been fulfilled. Our hope and longing will be satisfied. And what will remain is God’s love for us and our love for Him.
Nothing can be greater than to spend eternity with the God who loves us so very much, that He was willing to give up His Son’s life, that His Son gave up His life, so that we could spend forever with Him.
D. Heaven is eternal life.
John said in Revelation 21:6:
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. (Revelation 21, NIV1984)
The life we were supposed to enjoy on earth will be realized in Heaven.
No longer will we face death, for we will drink from the springs of living water.
E. Heaven is everything that this broken earth is not.
Think of everything in this world that is broken. Think of everything that is wrong. Think of all of the evil in this world.
None of that will be in Heaven.
Heaven will be ultimate perfection.
Some have even said that Heaven is the perfection of what the Garden of Eden was supposed to have been.
Our World is a Glimpse of The New Heaven and Earth
Source: Josh and Sean McDowell, The Resurrection and You (Baker Books, 2017), Pages 20-21
https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2018/november/our-world-is-glimpse-of-new-heaven-and-earth.html
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The world we live in now offers us a glimpse of the joys and pleasures that we will experience when God brings the new heaven and the new earth (Rev. 21).
In his book Heaven, Randy Alcorn explains, "All our lives we've been dreaming of the New Earth. Whenever we see beauty in water, wind, flower, deer, man, woman, or child, we catch a glimpse of Heaven. Just like the Garden of Eden, the New Earth will be a place of sensory delight, breathtaking beauty, satisfying relationships, and personal joy.”
He goes on to say, though, "The very best we can ever say about Eden falls far short of what heaven will be like. Heaven will be the ultimate paradise, infinitely surpassing Eden in every conceivable way."
We will live on an all-new earth—just like this one, except free from storms, earthquakes, drought, floods, or any other disasters. Things will grow easily, and weeds and thorns will not exist. Animals will not harm us but rather look to us benevolently as their leaders and benefactors.
You know, Spring Training games have started in the world of baseball. I’ve heard that in Heaven there will be a better game of baseball.
BASEBALL IN HEAVEN
By Dr. Larry Petton
Copied from Sermon Central
The old story is told about Bob and Stan, who were good buddies and baseball friends. One day at a ballgame, they made a vow to each other that, whichever friend died first, that friend would send a message back to earth to let the other friend know if there was baseball in Heaven.
Sure enough, one day Bob died. After a while, he sent a message back to earth to Stan: "Hey, Stan, this is your old baseball buddy, Bob. I have good news and I have bad news for you from Heaven."
Stan thought about it and said, "Let’s hear the good news!" Bob said, "Well, the good news is there is a lot of baseball going on in Heaven! Mickey Mantle is hitting home runs a mile long and you should see Babe Ruth hit a baseball up here, too! It’s amazing all of the greats that are playing in the game up here! Hank Aaron, Willie Mays! It’s awesome! It is perfect baseball Heaven!"
Stan smiled and said, "Hey, Bob. So what’s the bad news?"
There was a long pause. Finally, Bob spoke from Heaven and said, "The bad news is........YOU ARE SCHEDULED TO PITCH UP HERE TOMORROW NIGHT!”
2. Let’s look for a few moments now at what Heaven is not.
Heaven is not a made-up place.
Heaven is not some fictitious place, made up in poems and folktales of long ago. In that Pew Research study we talked about earlier, 1 in 4 US adults, 26%, believe that there is no such thing as heaven or hell, and that there is no such thing as an afterlife.
Where does that leave us? Living for today. Selfish lives. Self-centeredness. Getting the most of everything we can today, without a care about the impact our choices will have on where we go after we die.
There’s the life without hope.
B. Heaven is not a place where there will be sorrow, pain, suffering, and death — all of the things that are wrong with our world here today.
John talked about that in Revelation 21:
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.” (Revelation 21, NIV1984)
All of the old things that hurt us, drive us crazy, make us miserable, even suck away our life, will be gone. Those things will no longer haunt us.
All things will be new! A new start. A new life. A new home. A new world.
It will be the completion of the work that God has started in the lives of His children. God is working on us, when we surrender our lives to Him, to makes us new — a new creation that loves Him, that follows Him, that lives for Him. But there, our transformation will be complete.
No are aching muscles and joints. No more migraine headaches. No more allergies to make us sneeze.
Heaven will be perfect.
C. Heaven is not a place for those who are disobedient to God.
John says in Revelation 21:8:
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21, NIV1984)
John makes it pretty clear that there are folks who will not be making it to Heaven, contrary to what many believe in our country today.
In our push for acceptance, inclusivity, and tolerance, we, mankind, have decided that we know better about who can make it to Heaven.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/11/23/views-on-the-afterlife/
Pew Research
Views on the Afterlife
In the same Pew Research study we cited earlier, 39% of all Americans surveyed — 2 out of 5 — believe that those who do not believe in God will go to Heaven.
More shocking to me, nearly half of all Christians surveyed, 45%, believe that you do not have to believe in God to go to Heaven.
Among American Christians, 3 in 5, 58%, have decided that many religions can lead to eternal life in Heaven.
Folks, self-proclaiming Christians said that. The world has so watered down the faith that Christians in our country today do not believe that you have to follow God to make it to Heaven.
And that, I believe, is one of the fundamental problems with our world. If it doesn’t matter how you live today, what you do today, that there are no consequences, then evil and sin will run amuck. That is exactly the state of our world today. No morals. No right and wrong because it may offend someone. No consequences.
3. But John and others made it pretty clear. There are not many roads that lead to Heaven. There is only one way.
And that one way has nothing to do with our resume. It’s all about the referral.
Video Ill.: Resume vs. Referral
John said in Revelation 21:27:
27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21, NIV1984)
Jesus said in John 14:
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14, NIV1984)
Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will enter Heaven.
Only those who have sought Jesus and found that He is the one true way.
Only those who have found abundant life in the great “I Am” will walk through the Gates of Pearl.
Only those who are true disciples of the Son of God will gain eternal life.
Scripture is clear.
There is no doubt.
No matter what our world may try to say.
Conclusion
This morning, are you ready? If Jesus were to come today, are you ready?
52 Invitation Illustrations, Baker Book House Company, © 1972. Billy Apostolon. Pg. 15-16
Story attributed to Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Paraphrased
There’s an story about a man who dreamed that he was standing in the outer courts of Heaven. He saw a group marching up the steps of light, singing hymns, and bearing the banners of victory. They passed by the man, and entered into the gates of pearl. He heard, in the distance, sweet strains of music.
“Who are they?” he asked.
“They are the fellowship of the Prophets, who have gone on to be with God,” an angel told him.
The man signed a heavy sigh and said, “I’m not one of them. I guess I will not be entering those gates.”
A few minutes later another group came by, equally triumphant, robed in white. “Who are these?” the man asked with hope.
“They are the fellowship of the Apostles,” the angel said
“Oh. I’m not one of them. I guess I will not be entering those gates.”
The man sat down, discouraged. Then another group came by. This time, they were the Martyrs, who had given their lives in service of the King. He wasn’t one of them, so his hope sank even further.
When it seemed that there was no hope at all for him to enter the gates of pearl to be with Jesus for eternity, he saw a huge multitude marching up the steps, singing songs of praise, being led by the woman who was a sinner and the thief who was on the cross. What a pitiful group, he thought. There will not be any celebrating for these people. Look at how awful their lives were.
Instead, though, there was great celebrating throughout Heaven! Shouts of praise and celebration came as this group passed in through the gates! The angel told the man, “These are those that were mighty sinners, but were saved by a mighty grace! Praise God!”
Immediately the man stood up, and fell into the crowd and made his way through the gates of Heaven. “Blessed be God! I can go in with this group! For I too am a mighty sinner, saved by a mighty grace!”
Folks, that is us if we are ready for Jesus’ return — we are mighty sinners saved by a mighty grace.
Heaven is going to be so much more than we could even imagine.
We Don't Know Half of It
By Sermon Central
(From a sermon by David Henderson, "I Can Only Imagine, 5/25/2011)
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The famous explorer Marco Polo after completing his journeys went back to his home in Venice. When he got back to his home he began to describe some of the things he had seen. But his close friends thought he had gone mad. He told then about black stones that you could actually set on fire and they would provide heat for you. But they could not imagine what he was talking about .... they had never heard of charcoal. He told them about a piece of cloth that as hard as he tried he could not set it on fire. But they could not imagine what he was talking about ... they had never heard of asbestos. He told them about large animals that were almost 20 feet long. Had jaws large enough to swallow a man but they could not imagine what he was talking about .. they had never seen a crocodile. Then he told them of a substance that came spewing out of the ground that if you lit it, it would catch on fire and actually provide light but they could not imagine because they had never heard of crude oil.
Years later when Marco Polo was lying on his death bed one of the few men who actually believed him was there and he said tell me all of those stories again. I want to hear them again. But he refused and simply said it’s all true ... every bit of it. In fact, I have not told you half of what I saw.
In AD 90 John the apostle was sent to an island called Patmos. He was sent as punishment to live in isolation because of his witness for Christ. It was while he was there that he was given a vision and he wrote down the book of Revelation. I believe if John could speak to us today that he would tell us that he has not told us half of what he saw. When Paul was caught up into the 3rd heaven he said that he heard inexpressible things; things that man is not permitted to tell.
Today, I’ve tried to share some of the wonderful things that we will see in Heaven. But I can guarantee that in all of my trying, I have fallen short of the true beauty that John was able to see, and that we, one day, will see when our time comes or Jesus returns.
I hope and pray today that you are ready. I pray that your family is ready. I pray that our church is ready.
If we are ready, our hope is in Jesus. Our hope is Heaven — to be there for eternity.
Are you ready?
Get ready today — because Jesus is coming soon!
