Place Exercise
Close eyes think of places:
Paris; New York; Cape Town; Egypt
Picture them? What did you think of? The Eiffel Tower? The New York Sky Line? Table Mountain? The Pyramids?
Now lets close our eyes and think of one last place. Heaven – can you see it as clearly as the previous places I mentioned?
But I have never seen pictures or been there or chatted to those that have been there?
How real can it be for me?
Story
5 days before Christmas – Late shopper – Woolworths last shopping and gifts – grabbed a few things – long queues at tills
In front of him were 2 children – boy of about 10 and his little sister.
Boy dressed in a ragged coat and tennis shoes that were far to big for his feet. Clutching a handful of coins and crumpled notes. The little girl was not dressed much better. Hair matted and tangled but cradled in her arms was a pair of golden slippers.
They arrived at the till and the attendant swiped the bar code and said it was R59.99. The boy opened his hand and sadly looked at the little had. He looked down at his little sister and said: “I guess we will have to put them back and come back another time.”
The little girl choked back a sob and said: “But Jesus would have loved these shoes.”
“Don’t cry” said her brother “We’ll come back and get them later”
The man standing behind them passed the cashier a R100 note and said “Here I will get them for these kids.”
The little girl immediately through her arms around the legs of them man and said “Thank you sir.”
The man looked down and patted her matted hair and his curiosity was aroused so he asked: “What did you mean when you said that Jesus would like the slippers?”
The little boy answered for his sister. “Our mother is sick. Dad said she might go to heaven to be with Jesus before Christmas.”
“Yes” said the little girl…”and my Sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven are shiny gold – Wont my mommy look beautiful walking on those streets in these slippers.”
The man looked down to the tear streaked face and said: “Yes I am sure she will.”
Is your picture of heaven that clear? Your picture represents your hope. That little girl had been given the hope of heaven by her Sunday school teacher. That Sunday school teacher had given her a picture. We know what Egypt looks like and yet some of us have no hope of ever going there.
Where are we if we don’t have that hope? How could we face death? How could we face life?
Let’s look at some things about heaven that we know from scripture:
1. It is the place where we will rest from all our labors.
2. It’s the place where we will be freed from all our trials.
3. It’s the place where we will be completely healed from all ailments.
4. It’s the pace of sunshine and gladness and life never-ending
If that’s real - Now that’s what it means to have hope of heaven.
How blessed we are – Old Christians knew nothing - superstitions:
Old Christians – feared – had no idea of life after. But the gospel brings a hope that every Christian can hold on to.
Faith Hope and Love:
As Christians, Hope and heaven go together. Our hope is heaven.
The precious exclusive possession of Christians – Faith Hope and Love – 3 Principle graces of a Christian.
I few know nothing about heaven but everything about hope do we really have hope?
But what is this Heaven Hope all about?
Heaven is a PLACE!
Not state of mind, its not some sort of euphoric goodness or utopian state of mind you achieve in this life. It’s a place - How do we know?
1. Jesus came from Heaven – John 6:38
2. Jesus returned to Heaven – 1Peter 3:22
3. Jesus is coming again from heaven – 1 Thes. 4:16
Bible speaks of it as place. Don’t know where it is. Bible always speaks of it as being up. Jesus came down from heaven. He ascended up to heaven. When he returns for his church we are going up to meet him in the clouds.
Our Hope in Heaven is Promised
Hope in heaven should be something sure or a certainty – It has to fill a longing in your heart because we long to go there some day.
“Are you going to heaven?” – Oh I certainly hope so. We can hope in heaven but while here on earth, we can’t just hope it will sort of all work itself out.
When Paul thanked God in NT Reading for the hope laid up in heaven, he was thanking god for a sure thing. God’s promises are sure things.
So where is this promise?
Lets Read it together 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
1. The Lord Jesus is coming for us.
2. We are going to be caught up to meet Him.
3. Then we will be with Him forever – in Heaven – now that’s a promise I can bank on.
A promise the Lord makes is a promise he keeps
Heaven is being PREPARED for the Believer
John 14:1-3 Read
He is preparing them for us. Rooms –earth is good.
But what kind of place is God preparing. We really don’t know. In fact, the Bible says it is so wonderful that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared [for us.]
But we are given a few tantalizing glimpses.
Revelation 21:1-6
A place where everything is new
1. A new heaven – a whole new universe of stars and galaxies
2. A new earth – pristine, fresh, unmarked by sin
3. A new city – with streets of gold, foundations of pre-cious stones, and gates of pearl
4. A new relationship – God dwelling with men, no longer separated because of sin.
5. A new condition
• Every broken heart will be healed
• Death will be forbidden
• Sorrow will be unknown
• Suffering will be no more
Conclusion
Have you got it?
So God has made a place, he has made a promise that it is our place. He says hold on to that hope. But why is it that hope is one of the key aspects of being a Christian?
Well it’s pretty straightforward. Hope is what we are doing now. Hope is what governs our lives now. And our lives now are what govern whether or not we get the invitation to that promised and prepared. What that means. The stronger your hope the closer you will walk with Christ. The closer you walk with Christ the darker your name becomes on the pages of that book of life.
See enter his gates with thanks giving in your hearts
Through Jesus Christ, I encvourage you to make your hope of heaven real.
Amen.
