What Is Up With Heaven? Series

Sermons About Heaven: February 28, 2010

Sermon #1: What’s Up With Heaven?

Introduction:

Probably one of the MOST MISUNDERSTOOD DOCTRINES within the BIBLE & MISUNDERSTOOD by MANY CHRISTIANS is the DOCTRINE of HEAVEN.

There is a LOT of FALSE MYTHS about HEAVEN & it is EASY to get CAUGHT UP in them if we are NOT CAREFUL.

The BIBLE tells us that we are going to SPEND an ETERNITY THERE so I THINK it only makes SENSE that we CHECK OUT the PLACE where we are going to LIVE FOREVER & FOREVER. Don’t you?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

In this SERIES of MESSAGES about HEAVEN I’d like for us to LOOK at MANY of the DIFFERENT ASPECTS of HEAVEN & see if we can get a BETTER UNDERSTANDING as well as a BETTER APPRECIATION for HEAVEN.

I ENJOY READING VARIOUS EPITAPHS. {INSCRIPTIONS of TOMBSTONES}

EPITAPHS are VERY FITTING for a SERIES on HEAVEN for they are WRITTEN on OUR TOMBSTONES.

I ENJOY THIS ONE:

Here lies the body of old man Peas, Buried beneath the flowers & trees

But Peas ain’t here, just the pod, Peas shelled out & went to GOD.

That’s an ACCURATE EPITAPH for that’s what HAPPENS when we DIE. We SHELL OUT & we go to GOD. The POD stays here, right?

One dear lady MISWROTE the EPITAPH and when she SHARED IT with the LADIES MISSIONARY GROUP at CHURCH; WHAT CAME OUT was this:

Here lies the body of old man Peas, Buried beneath the flowers & the trees,

But Peas ain’t here, just the shell, ------------

She said IMMEDIATELY she KNEW she was IN TROUBLE.

It was SUNDAY & in SUNDAY SCHOOL the TEACHER of the 5th GRADERS was DRILLING her CLASS about the GOSPEL of SALVATION.

She was QUIZZING them & she said, ‘If I SOLD EVERYTHING & GAVE the MONEY to the CHURCH would that get me INTO HEAVEN?’

& the ENTIRE CLASS RESPONDED TOGETHER with a big ‘NO!’

So then the TEACHER asked, ‘Well, if I’d CLEAN my HOUSE every day & MOWED the YARD & PLANTED FLOWERS & made my HOME BEAUTIFUL; would that get me INTO HEAVEN?’

& once again the KIDS RESPONDED with ‘NO!’

Then the TEACHER added, ‘Well, if I was KIND to ANIMALS & POLITE to ALL my FRIENDS & if I LOVED my FAMILY; would that get me INTO HEAVEN?’

& once again there was this UNANIMOUS ‘NO!’

“Well,” she asked, “Then HOW can I get INTO HEAVEN?”

& there was ONE LITTLE BOY who was NEW to SUNDAY SCHOOL & he SHOUTED OUT the ANSWER; ‘You have to BE DEAD.”

& that is TRUE, isn’t it?

If JESUS DOESN’T RETURN & TAKE US to be with HIM in the RAPTURE then the ONLY WAY we can get INTO HEAVEN is to DIE.

& that MEANS that EVERY ONE OF US in this CONGREGATION this morning has a CHANCE to GO to HEAVEN.

Because the DEATH RATE is PRESENTLY 100%:

& UNLESS CHRIST RETURNS SOON ---we’re ALL GOING to DIE!

WORLD WIDE – 3 PEOPLE DIE EVERY SECOND.

That’s 180 PEOPLE DIE EVERY MINUTE.

That’s NEARLY 11,000 PEOPLE DIE EVERY HOUR.

& if the BIBLE is RIGHT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO US AFTER WE DIE that MEANS that MORE than 250,000 PEOPLE EVERY DAY will either GO to HEAVEN or GO to HELL.

Here in OUR COUNTRY we seem to have a LOT of INTEREST in all of this.

In a 2003 HARRIS POLL 82 % of AMERICANS BELIEVED in HEAVEN.

63% said they EXPECTED to GO THERE AFTER THEY DIE.

But there’s an OLD SPIRITUAL SONG that says:

LOTS of PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT HEAVEN; AIN’T GOING THERE.

NOT MANY SERMONS are PREACHED in OUR CHURCHES TODAY ABOUT HEAVEN & even FEWER are PREACHED ABOUT HELL.

& BECAUSE the CHURCH of TODAY does not have HEAVEN ON IT’S MIND as it SHOULD then the CHURCH sometimes BECOMES INDULGENT & SELF CENTERED & WEAK.

SOMETIMES the PRESENT DAY COMFORTS of THIS LIFE TEND to MAKE HEAVEN just an AFTERTHOUGHT.

& ONE of the REASONS the POLL SURVEYS tell us that the LIVING STYLES & the MORALS BETWEEN SOME CHRISTIANS & NON CHRISTIANS can be DUE to the FACT there IS LITTLE PREACHING about HEAVEN. We’re NOT as HEAVENLY MINDED!

For WHEN we FORGET that GOD has PREPARED a PLACE for us in HEAVEN where we will SPEND an ETERNITY & that it is a GLORIOUS PLACE that is REAL & NOT IMAGINARY then we TRY to CREATE a PARADISE HERE on THIS EARTH. & we will SPEND EVERY DIME & GO to EVERY EXTREME to TRY to FIGURE OUT HOW we can MAKE OUR SITUATIONS in on THIS EARTH as MUCH LIKE the THINGS we’ve HEARD ABOUT HEAVEN as we POSSIBLY CAN.

GET RID of the PAIN. GET ALL the TOYS. LIVE in a BEAUTIFUL PLACE