Intro: A Sunday School teacher was teaching his class about heaven. He asked the children, “If I sold my house and my car, had a huge yard sale, and gave all the money to the church, would that get me into heaven?” All the children answered, “NO!” “If everyday I vacuumed the church carpets, cleaned the washrooms, and mowed the grass, would that get me into heaven?”
-Again, all the children answered, “NO!” “If I was kind to the poor, gave candy to children, and loved my wife, would that get me into heaven?” Once more, the children answered, “NO!” “Then how can I get into heaven?” the teacher asked. A five-year-old boy shouted out, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!”
-A crash course on heaven is first of all, to go there, you got to die. I think most of us would like to skip that whole process, but the chances of us avoiding that are very slim. So I think a big question a lot of us have is “What’s heaven going to be like?”
-I know as a kid I thought heaven was going to be a place where I wore a white robe and sort of floated along in the clouds. Others of us think of heaven as sitting on a cloud and playing a harp. Generally, our thoughts of heaven are that it’s gong to be a rather boring place; a place where it’s going to be hard to have a lot of fun.
-But instead of going w/what we’ve heard @ heaven, I think it’ll be a good idea for us to take a look at what the Bible says @ heaven.
Sermon Idea: Today in our passage of Scripture we’ll see Jesus’ disciple John give us a glimpse into what Heaven will be like. Revelation does speak of heaven as having streets of gold, and pearly gates, and these incredibly beautiful stones that will adorn heaven.
-I think John used language like that b/c he was speaking metaphorically. Our focus is going to be on some of the basic things @ heaven.
TEXT: REVELATION 21: 3-5
Bckgrd: John wrote this while he was in exile on the Greek island of Patmos b/c he was a follower of Jesus. He was isolated from his family. He was isolated from the region where he’d grown up. It would’ve been a very easy time for John to be bitter and angry at what had happened to him.
-But instead, John shared w/us the hope for a future he’d found while in exile. He shared w/us, thru a revelation he’d received from God, what heaven was going to be like. So, what is heaven going to be like?
DIV. 1: IT WILL BE A PLACE WHERE GOD DWELLS (v. 3)
Exp: What are the 3 most important words in real estate? Location, location, location. The house can look great, it can have top of the line appliances, but if it’s in a bad location it’s not going to matter! You want your home to be in a nice, safe area. You want your home to be in an area where you’ll have good neighbors.
A. Well, heaven is in a great location! The location’s so good that we’re told God dwells there! Can you imagine that? One of your new neighbors is going to be God! And God’s presence affects everything!
1. His presence affects the environment. Rev. 21: 23, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light.” The Bible also says in James 1: 17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows.”
a. Can you imagine what heaven would be like w/o the presence of God? From the verses I just read we could gather that it would be a place of darkness and a place where goodness didn’t exist. I guarantee you it’d be a place you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with.
b. But not only that, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our faith. 1 Pet. 2: 6, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” What’s the importance of a cornerstone?
2. The cornerstone is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, which is important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. W/o the cornerstone there is no solid foundation.
a. And as we know, anything built w/o a solid foundation will eventually fall. Therefore, we want Jesus to be present in heaven b/c He is the one who holds all things together. W/o Him nothing would be lasting.
ILLUS: Sometimes in our eagerness to get things done we don’t do a good job of getting everything in order; w/o making the proper arrangements. In our house Emily is the handyman. In all honesty I don’t know how to do anything when it comes to fixing things. I’m pretty good at destroying things but that’s @ it. Emily has hung doors in our house, put in toilets, and screened in the porch. I’m virtually useless.
-But every once in a while I’ll have a “MAN” moment and I’ll try to prove my worth. I’ll see some light bulbs out and I’ll think, “I can take care of that. Emily will be proud of me.” So I’ll get a stool, sit it on top of a chair and try to unscrew the bulb, while holding the new bulb in my hand.
-And I find it almost impossible to pull off. You know why? B/c my foundation’s not solid. I’m weaving and wobbling all over the place realizing I’m @ to fall and break my neck.
b. It’s just a reminder to me that putting my life on an uncertain foundation makes it very difficult to have any lasting achievements! Well, if we invest our faith in something that doesn’t have a solid foundation, then we’re setting ourselves up for a bad fall.
B. But when Christ is the foundation of your life, you’ll be able to w/stand the storms of life. You’ll be able to hang onto the fact that your eternity is secure when Jesus is the one who’s in charge of it.
1. Jesus said in Matt. 7: 24-26, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, b/c it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell w/a great crash.”
a. You can know that when you put your life into the hands of Jesus that you’re building your life on a solid foundation. And b/c that foundation is secure and solid you can know that heaven is a certainty.
b. At the end of v. 3 it says “He will live w/them.” The tense of “will live” indicates that God will ALWAYS dwell w/us in heaven! Therefore our dwelling in heaven is PERMANENT!
Reit: What’s heaven going to be like? It will be a place where God dwells. What’s heaven going to be like?
DIV. 2: IT WILL BE A PLACE OF RELIEF (v. 4)
Exp: A couple of weeks ago a famous architect from Brazil celebrated his 102nd birthday. When asked @ his birthday he said he didn’t have anything to celebrate b/c this past year had been garbage! I don’t think his book on “How to Live a Long Life” is going to be a best seller.
A. But a lot of people see life as being a hassle; as being tough and difficult. In the end for some people life doesn’t bring a lot of hope b/c of all the turmoil you face. Think @ what we experience in this life. We experience broken hearts. We experience betrayal.
1. We experience sickness and disease. We experience death and grief. Now I’ll be honest w/you. I enjoy life. I’m amazed at how blessed I’ve been in my life. I’ve done things and been places where I step back and think, “How in the world did I ever get to be so lucky?”
a. So I don’t want you to think I’ve got a death wish or something. I’m not one of those people who says, “I wish I could just die and go to heaven right now.” I’m not that spiritually mature yet.
ILLUS: There was a man preaching a revival on heaven. And he talked @ how great heaven was, and what a perfect place it was going to be. He then said, “If you want to go to heaven, raise your hand!” Everybody in the church readily raised their hand, except for one little boy in the back.
-The pastor was a little stunned when he saw the boy hadn’t raised his hand. So he asked the boy, “Young man, don’t you want to go to heaven?” The little boy said, “Yeah! I just thought you were getting a bus load up for today.”
b. My guess is most of us aren’t looking to get on that bus just yet. But let me tell you something. Heaven is going to be a place of relief. Pay attention to what v. 4 says. John tells us heaven will be a place where there is no more death, mourning, crying or pain.
2. I can’t even fathom that! Can you imagine what it would be like to live life w/o the fear of dying; w/o wondering if your kids are safe or not; w/o ever experiencing hurt or pain again?
a. How would that make a difference in your life? I think most of us would have a great sense of relief. It’d be like a major league burden being lifted off of our shoulders. V. 4 makes me WANT to go to heaven. It makes me long for heaven.
b. Heaven’s going to be a place of relief b/c it’s what we were created for in the 1st place. If you read the first few chapters in the book of Genesis, you’ll discover that it was God’s intent for man to live in a perfect world. But what happened in the Garden of Eden?
B. Adam and Eve were disobedient to God, which opened up a whole new can of worms. Sin entered into our world and it threw creation into chaos. The result is we’ve been living in a fallen world sense. But deep w/in our souls we long for the perfection God created us for.
1. Eccl. 3: 11, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” This world has some beautiful things @ it; some things which I love and enjoy. But this place can never fully satisfy me. Why? B/c this place is only temporary in nature. When you’re having a great time you’re always longing for more. And it’s disappointing when it comes to an end.
a. This happens to a lot of us on vacation. We get away and go to the beach. We relax and have a great time. But @ Wednesday or Thursday we start getting anxious. Why? B/c we know it’s almost over.
b. Heaven’s going to be a great relief to us b/c it’s not ever going to end. I picture it being like the best vacation you’ve ever been on, except it just keeps on going!
Reit: What’s heaven going to be like? It’s a place where God dwells. It’s also a place of relief. What else is heaven going to be like?
DIV. 3: IT WILL BE A PLACE OF RESTORATION (v. 5)
Exp: As I said earlier, our world has been corrupted b/c of sin. God’s intent was for our world to function like Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. But sin has left its residue on our world. But one of the neat things to discover is there is going to be a day when God will restore that which has been broken down.
A. In v. 5 God tells us that He’s going to make all things new! You see, in heaven what’s made new will stay new forever b/c in heaven there won’t be the corrupting nature of sin.
1. So when you enter into heaven, you’re not going to enter into heaven w/your worn out and beaten down body. You’re going to receive a new body! Phil. 3: 21-“(He) will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” Before you start thinking @ it I want to say I have NO IDEA what our bodies are going to look like and at what age they’re going to be.
a. Great questions to which I have no answer. But I do know our bodies are going to be powerful and strong. 1 Cor. 15: 43 speaks of the body like this: “it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.”
b. But heaven won’t just affect our bodies. It will also affect our relationships. While we live here on this earth, we have relationships that are broken by death. We’ve all been touched by death in one way or another. Some of you have experienced the death of a family member. Others of us have experienced the death of friends.
2. And when that happens it’s like a part of us has been cut away. But if for followers of Jesus, death is a different experience. I’m not saying believers don’t grieve and aren’t sad. But are grief can be tempered by the hope of restoration.
a. Paul said in 1 Thess. 4: 13, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant @ those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.” Why don’t believers grieve like everyone else? It’s interesting to note that ancient inscriptions on tombs and references in literature show that 1st century pagans viewed death w/horror b/c they saw it as the end of everything.
b. But Xians had a different take on death. Phil. 1: 21-23, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am going to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be w/Christ, which is better by far.”
B. Death for the Xian is a gate that must be passed thru in order to enter into the presence of God and to experience His restoration. It’s thru death that we will be made into something far greater than we are now.
ILLUS: You know what an acorn is? Basically it’s a seed that has the potential to turn into a mighty oak tree! But what has to happen to that seed before it can become an oak tree? It has to be planted in the ground and then it has to die before the life of the oak can come from that seed.
-Until it dies, that acorn is simply going to be an acorn. It’s never going to reach it’s full potential until it dies. But when it dies, the power of a new life is released from it and it becomes something far greater than it was before.
1. Jesus said in John 12: 24, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
a. Death for a believer will bring a new life in heaven and the restoration of relationships that were earlier broken by death. Think of the people you knew and loved who were believers and have already died. If you’re a believer there’s going to be a day when you’re reunited w/that person in heaven!
b. Death isn’t the final word in your relationship! I can just imagine some of the reunion’s that are going to happen in heaven! Some of you will have parents who will come together again after a season of being separated by death. You’ll be reunited w/brothers and sisters who’ve gone on before you.
2. Others of us will experience the joy of seeing our friends in heaven again. Isn’t that cool? I can’t imagine what it’ll be like to see my grandmother in heaven restored after she suffered so many years w/dementia. It’ll be amazing to see my aunt totally restored after battling breast cancer for over a decade.
Conclusion: What’s heaven going to be like? It will be a place where God dwells. It will be a place of relief. And it will be a place of restoration. It’s my desire to see more and more of us make reservations for heaven b/c it will make heaven a much sweeter place.
-If you’re ready to be a resident of heaven when your time comes, pray this prayer after me: Dear Jesus, I am placing my hope and trust in you. I ask you to forgive me of my sins and transform my life. I am believing when I die you will take me to be w/you in heaven. Thank you for saving me.
-If you prayed that prayer, open your bulletin and fill out the section on the right side. Tear it out and place it in the offering basket in a few moments so we can get you some information in the mail on how you can grow in your walk w/Christ.
-I want to challenge the rest of us to lift up in prayer people we know who don’t have a relationship w/Christ. Pray for God to make their hearts sensitive to Him. Ask the Lord to provide you w/the right time to reach out to them and invite them into the church or into your small group. And then pray God will save them.
