"TOP TEN REASONS
WHY HEAVEN IS GOING TO BE A BLAST!
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever been so excited about something that was going to happen that it just made your entire day? This past thursday Leila was excited about something.
I went by her school to pick her this past thursday at 12:30, when they called her teacher Ms Warren on the intercom - "Mrs Warren please send Leila to the office" I heard loudly in the back ground, "I’m going on a plane trip..."
You see, Laurie and Leila were flying down to Tampa that day.
And you talked about being wound tight, Leila was wound. When we pulled into the drive way she was ready to go. But I told her we have to get your mom and eat lunch.
She even was excited about her lunch even though it was not her favorite spag o’s with hotdogs. She kept singing and bouncing around even more than usual.
On the way to the airport - and rides for a 6 year old in the car are always long - but instead of hearing - "how much longer, are we almost there...." she said, "wow were here already that didn’t take long.."
She continued to sing and to bounce all the way to the airplane. It’s amazing what having something to look forward to does for the attitude of a child and how it changes how they view life at that particular moment..
And just wait till June 2nd.
And do you know what? We as adults are really the same way - we also have a before vacation attitude... Aren’t you in a better mood when you know that you going away? And Don’t you handle the things of life a little better at those times?
But the problem is we don’t always have a vacation to look forward too, do we? Therefore our attitude is not always that positive, things are not always that easy to handle and we are not always that cheerful as we live this life.
Sometimes there is not much joy seen in our eyes or heard in our voice.
For me/for you/for us to make it through this life with a bounce in our step - we need something to keep us going... we need something to look forward to... we need what Peter calls in his first letter, "a living hope..." We need a hope that can never perish, spoil or fade away.
And friends it is possible for us to have this kind of hope...and when we do it is absolutely powerful; For you see the words; "REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS, I WILL SAY IT AGAIN. REJOICE!" were not written by a man whose life was going great, but rather by a man who was in prison, a man who had in his life been beaten, flogged, stoned and betrayed.
But Paul was not the first to use this power of a future hope to press on and endure in this life...
Listen to Hebrews 11:13,16
"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised they only saw and welcomed them from a distance...they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them..."
They were still living by faith - they didn’t have the things promised - but they could see them in the distance and they knew that someday these promises would be theirs, thye knew that soemday they would hold them in their hands.
Today, if you are a Christian I want to give you something to look forward too. I want to give you a "before vacation" attitude about your life, I want to re-kindle a new the fires of your hope. And today if you are not a Christian I pray that the hope that those who are in Christ have will move you to accept Christ in order that you to may be born again into a living hope....
Brother’s and sisters we are at this very moment Marching to Zion, beautiful beautiful Zion - we are marching upward to Zion the beautiful city of God. Do you bliove that? Realklly belive that? This world is not our home we are just passing through.
We are headed home - we are going to heaven - and let me tell you heaven is going to be a blast! It’s going to blow your mind. Float our boats and trip our triggers.
Today , I’d like to briefly share with you the top 10 reasons why I think heaven is going to be a blast.
These are not in any particular order....
Reason # 1 is because when we get to heaven:
WE GET A NEW BODY
1 Cor 15:50-54
"DEAR FRIENDS, NOW WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD, AND WHAT WE WILL BE HAS NOT YET BE MADE KNOWN. BUT WE KNOW THAT WHEN HE APPEARS WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, FOR WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS..." 1 JOHN 3:3
"WHILE WE LIVE IN THIS EARTHLY TENT, WE GROAN WITH A FEELING OF OPPRESSION; IT IS NOT THAT WE WANT TO GET RID OF OUR EARTHLY BODY, BUT THAT WE WANT TO HAVE THE HEAVENLY ONE PUT ON OVER US, SO THAT WHAT IS MORTAL WILL BE TRANSFORMED BY LIFE..." 2 COR 5:4
In heaven we get a new body... And if we’re honest we’d have to admit that living in this body is not so great. Our earthly body get’s tired, feels pain, get’s sick, and with age; moves slower, sags, our eyes dims, our ears dull, and things falls out (hair & teeth)...
And most People are not really happy with their body any way , billions are spent every year to cover up, make up, lift up and change the flaws in our bodies.
Well, in heaven we won’t need to do that anymore becasue -- we get a new body, a better one, an eternal one; one that doesn’t get tired, feel pain, get sick, sag or fall out...
Getting a new body is one reason that heaven is going to be a blast!
WE’LL GET TO LIVE IN A CUSTOM BUILT HOUSE
JOHN 14:1-3
HEBREWS 11:10
Now there is no such thing as a perfect house in this life. When moved up to Georgia we rented a house. And havoing lived in Florida with no 2 story hosues - I was excited about this hosue. I walked in and said yeha this is it.
But the more I lived in it I find that it is far from perfect: . Climbing my drive way is greta prepparation for climbing Mt Everest.
. The phone line is alkways full of static.
. No garabge door opner
. The tub in the mater bedroom does not drain
.
No house is perfect...(Tom Hnaks) That is except God’s house...
The group Audio Adrenaline has a song called my father’s house...
In the song they begin by saying that they do not know what kind of house we live in... big or small/nice or rundown/whether we have a mom or dad -- but no matter what kind of "earthly" house we may have they try to encourage us by telling us about their father’s house... It’s a fun song... The chorus goes like this:
Come and go with me to my father’s house
It’s a big big house - with lots and lots of rooms
With big big tables with lots and lots of food....
A big big yard were we can play football
It’s my father’s house...
Living in a perfect house built by God is one reason why heaven is going to be a blast! He has been working on it 2,000 years - creation took just 6 days.
Which brings me to the 3rd reason why heaven is going to be a blast.
WE’LL GET TO EAT GREAT FOOD
Who here likes to eat?
A lot of people do, just check out the lines at Outback on a friday or saturday. People love to eat and they will wait hours to eat good food.
Now, I’ve been to some great buffet’s... The best was in OC Maryland Phillips Crabhouse. (#2 Holiday Inn Lito, #3 Buddy Freddy’s).
Well in heaven we get to eat and I know it’s even going to be better than Phillips Crabhouse.
How do I know we’ll get to eat, the bible says so:
"I SAY TO YOU THAT MANY WILL COME FROM THE EAST AND THE WEST, AND WILL TAKE THEIR PLACES AT THE FEAST WITH ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN...." MT 8:11
"THEN THE ANGEL SAID TO ME, `WRITE: BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE INVITED TO THE WEDDING SUPPER OF THE LAMB!’ AND HE ADDED, `THESE ARE THE TRUE WORDS OF GOD.’" REV 19:9
I don’t know about you but I’m looking forward to taking part in the mother of all buffets.
And we’ll get to sit at the table with Abraham, Isaac and other bible characters... Can you just imagine saying to Abraham, "Hey Abraham could you pass me some more of that lobster, and O’ yeah I’ll take a little more of that filet mingon..and certainly I have some of that coconut cream pie"
{if getting a new body; living in a perfect home, and if eating great food appeals to you; then you’ll find heaven to be a blast!}
A 4th reason why heaven is going to be a blast is that
WE GET TO TALK WITH BIBLE CHARACTERS
For years we have heard of them, read about them and even imagined that we were them, and when we get to heaven we’ll get to meet them....talk with them
We’ll get to:
Ask David what it was like to fight Goliath....
Ask Noah what it was like living in the ark...
Ask Moses about parting the Red Sea...
And when can ask Daniel about the lion’s den and Shadrac, Meshac and Abendego about the fiery furnace and Mary about being Jesus’ mom..
Who are you looking forward to talking with?
And not only will we see and speak with bible characters we will also, which is the 5th reason why heaven is going to be a blast
SEE AND SPEAK WITH OUR LOVED ONES
1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-17
"...WE WHO ARE STILL ALIVE AND ARE LEFT WILL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER
WITH THEM IN THE AIR. AND SO WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER."
I am looking forward to being with my loved ones again, aren’t you? Those who have gone on before me and those who are still with me...
There is going to be a meeting in the air in the sweet sweet by and by.... How I love to see you over there in the land beyond the sky.
And we are just going to have a great time together - the best ever - it’s going to be awesome (and do you know what will make it particularly awesome we will leave our jerkiness behind with our old body...)
Seeing and sepaking with loved ones is one reason why heaven is gong to be balst...
WE’LL GET TO LIVE IN A PERFECT WORLD
Does living in this world ever get you down?
Well, in Revelation 21 we read where John is given a vision of Heaven coming down from the sky... It is so incredible that mere words can not describe it... but John tries to even though he is limited by the vocab that we have as humans..
John tells us that the heavenly city is surrounded by high protective walls the foundations of which are made of precious stones. He says that the city is made of pure transparent Gold and jasper. That the 12 gates symbolic of the city’s access and openness are constructed of 12 large pearls.
He says that in this city there is no need for a temple, for God and His son are there. It also has no need for the sun , for God’s glory and Jesus provide all the illumination that is needed.
And there’s no more night or darkness.
And through the city flows the river of life, it is as clear as crystal, it’s source coming from the very throne of God. And along it’s banks grows the tree of life, yielding 12 different monthly fruits.
It will be a perfect place to live - creation which has suffered because of the fall will be restored and for mankind
Paradise will be regained! All that was lost to man in his first home, lost because of sin, will be is returned to him 100 fold in his final home..
Heaven is going to be an incredible - a perfect world; the world you’ve always dreamed of.
ANOTHER REASON HEAVEN IS GOING TO BE A BLAST IS BECAUSE OF THE NO-MORES
Now let me explain what I mean by "no-mores"
When I was in the Navy many times it was the "no-mores" and the hope of the "no-mores" that kept me going.
When I was on a 3 month patrol -- I called the last week of patrol the "no-mores" (no more mondays at sea/away from family/not seeing the sun...etc)
In fact my entire last year in the Navy was a year of "no-mores" - (no more June 23rd’s...etc)
When you and I get to heaven there is going to be some awesome "no-mores", and these "no-mores" should really inspires us, they should rally keep us going and give us a living hope.
REV 7:16,17
REV 4, 8, 27
NO MORE: hunger, thirst, scorching heat, tears, death, crying pain. bad guys , impure things
Now those are some awesome no-mores...
Think of the things that really get you done in life - chances they are also a no more....
The 8th reason heaven is going to be a blast is because
IT WILL BE THE LAST TIME WE FALL
"I DON’T UNDERSTAND MYSELF AT ALL, FOR I REALLY WANT TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT, BUT I CAN’T. I DO WHAT I DON’T WANT TO DO - WHAT I HATE. I KNOW PERFECTLY WELL THAT WHAT I AM DOING IS WRONG, AND MY BAD CONSCIOUS PROVES THAT I AGREE WITH THE LAWS I AM BREAKING... NO MATTER WHICH WAY I TURN I CAN’T MAKE MYSELF DO RIGHT. I WANT TO BUT I CAN’T. WHEN I WANT TO DO GOOD I DON’T, AND WHEN I TRY NOT TO DO WRONG, I DO IT ANYWAY... IT SEEMS TO BE A FACT OF LIFE THAT WHEN I WANT TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT, I INEVITABLY DO WHAT IS WRONG... OH, WHAT A TERRIBLE PREDICAMENT I’M IN! WHO WILL FREE ME FROM MY SLAVERY TO THIS DEADLY LOWER NATURE? THANK GOD! IT HAS BEEN DONE BY JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. HE HAS SET ME FREE."
RM 7:15,16,18,21,24,25 (LB)
Do you ever feel like Paul? I sure do. I too find myself doing the things I don’t want to do. And not doing the things that I want to do.
Sometimes like a song by DC Talk called "In the Light," sometimes I despise my own behavior. Sometimes I’m just so tired of letting my God down, of Giving in and falling down to sin.
Yes, I know that I’m saved by grace (thank God) and yes I know that his blood can and does wash away every stain, nevertheless I still get tired of failing, of falling. Do you?
This struggle is one more reason why heaven is going to be a blast to me - For you see in heaven - I will fall for the last time...
And it will not be a fall of failure or into sin - because I’ll never do that again. No, I’ll never feel the pain of letting God down again.
For the last time I fall, and the last you will fall, will be when we fall to our knees to worship at the feet of our God....
Which leads us to the final 2 reasons why heaven is going to be a blast!
The first is that
IN HEAVEN WE WILL TAKE PART IN AN AWESOME WORSHIP SERVICE
REVELATION 5:11-14
REVELATION 7:9-12
REVelATION 19:1-8
Now I love great worship - I love enthusiastic worship - I love worship full of energy, excitement, smiling faces, lifted hearts and hands...
Therefore I look forward to worshipping in heaven - because it’s going to be out of this world.... WHAT A DAY OF REJOICING THAT WILL BE... It’s going to blow my mind - and it’s going to lift the roof and rock the walls of heaven..
The 10th reason heaven is going to be a blast is because in heaven
WE WILL GET TO SEE GOD....
(THE FATHER, SON, SPIRIT)
"DEAR FRIENDS, NOW WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD, AND WHAT WE WILL BE HAS NOT YET BEEN MADE KNOWN. BUT WE KNOW THAT WHEN HE APPEARS WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM FOR WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS..."
1 JOHN 3:2
"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 14:3
