Sermon Central
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Is Heaven An Actual Place? Series
Contributed by Erik Estep on Jan 20, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: Today in our passage of Scripture we’re going to see Jesus addressing the issue of heaven w/His disciples. And what we’re going to discover are some reasons we can have confidence that heaven is an actual place.
2. I tell you all of this to let you know that one reason we can trust heaven is real is b/c Jesus said it was. Where we get into trouble is when we start trusting in our own reasoning above what Jesus says.
a. Let me tell you something. There is no good reason for you to place your trust and confidence in yourself over God. Prov. 28: 26, “He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.”
b. John 1: 1-3 lets us know that Jesus is God; that He’s infinite; that’s He’s the Creator. And it’s a reminder to me of my position. I’m finite. And I should be totally dependent upon Jesus. John 1: 1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was w/God, and the Word was God. He was w/God in the beginning. Thru Him all things were made; w/o Him nothing was made that has been made.”
B. Jesus sees the big picture of life. We don’t. And when you don’t have help in seeing the big picture of life, you’re going to find yourself being very frustrated.
ILLUS: A man awoke one morning to find a puddle of water in the middle of his king-size water bed. In order to fix the puncture, he rolled the heavy mattress outdoors and filled it w/more water so he could locate the leak more easily. The enormous bag of water was impossible to control and it began rolling on the hilly terrain.
-He tried to hold it back, but it headed downhill and landed in a clump of bushes which poked it full of holes. Disgusted, he threw the water-bed frame and moved a standard bed into his room. The next morning he awoke to find a puddle of water in the middle of his new bed. The upstairs bathroom had a leaky drain.
1. Jesus said heaven was a real place. Now from our point of view it seems impossible to believe. All we know is what life is like from this vantage point. It’s hard to trust and believe in things you haven’t seen or experienced. But just b/c we can’t see or experience some things doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
a. Jesus said heaven was real. And taking a look at His track record, that statement is something we can take to the bank.
Reit: The 1st reason we can have confidence heaven is an actual place is b/c Jesus said it was. The 2nd reason we can have confidence heaven is an actual place is b/c:
DIV. 2: JESUS SPOKE OF HEAVEN AS A SPECIFIC LOCATION (vv. 2-3)
Exp: Heaven isn’t some ethereal concept. It’s not a reference to when you feel really good. I’ve eaten Emily’s red velvet cake before and thought, “Man, I’m in heaven.” But that’s not what heaven is.
A. Heaven is a real place. How do I know that? B/c Jesus spoke of it as being a specific location. As a matter of fact He spoke of it as being a place where He’d dwell and where His followers would live also.
1. You have to remember the context of this text. Jesus was getting ready to die, but before He did He wanted to comfort His disciples to let them know that everything was going to be okay.
a. And He did this by telling them He wasn’t going to be abandoning them, but instead He was going to heaven in order to prepare a place for His followers to come and live w/Him.
