“Heaven”
Revelation 21:1-5
This chapter gives us a bit of a preview of what heaven looks like.
I never had a dream, or vision, or read it in the newspaper, I heard no voices or saw it on any Tele evangelists broadcast.
I got saved about 24 years ago. I’ve not been perfect, many sins, many failures. I’ve said before I done things before I got saved I ought to go to hell for. But listen to me, I’ve done things after I got saved I ought to go to hell for.
But after I got saved, heaven became more real to me. I learned of a place that we may not have to die to go there. A place where everybody is happy. Even the Baptists. No arguing, no fighting, nobody mad at anybody. Just peace for evermore. It will be glorious and wonderful.
Life on earth never seems to be fair or just. But even if we die, there is a place beyond ashes to ashes and dust to dust where justice and righteousness rules.
I hope with a few words, to be able to encourage you about your Christian life. To set your eyes on a place Jesus has gone to prepare, just for the blood washed.
I’m not talking about a small place either, Heaven is a huge place.
1: Heaven is a Huge Place. Revelation 21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
A furlong is about 582 feet. 12,00 Furlongs is about 1500 miles.
It’s a 1500 mile cube, so to speak the way the Bible describes it.
If the city of heaven was laid off in one-square mile squares, there would be 1500 streets going both directions.
For a total of 3000 streets 1500 miles long, OR 4 million five-hundred thousand miles of gold streets on the first floor alone.
But since the city is as long as it is high, you would have 6 billion 750 thousand miles of golden streets, and if God would put just one mansion on each corner, there would be 2 billion 700 million mansions inside the city of heaven.
I’m not talking about a small place, like Los Angeles, Dallas or New York, Heaven is a huge place.
The City’s size alone ought to fascinate us, 1500 miles in all directions. Not only is heaven a huge place, but it’s,
2: Heaven is a Holy Place. Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Not everybody is going to heaven friends. Not everything that glitter is gold and not everything that shouts is going to heaven. Only those who are born again.
I’m not talking about somebody who turned over a new leaf, or somebody who signed a card or shook the preachers hand, or somebody who think they get there because Grand Paw was a deacon.
I’m talking about those who died out to sin, those who the Spirit of God put conviction in their hearts and they was so miserable with their sins they had to get saved or die. Only those who have had the New birth, those who have been made New Creatures by the power of God…. Any questions?
Listen friends, we may not think we’re too holy now, and honestly sometimes I don’t feel real holy. But after the judgement seat of Christ, what I lack now, I’ll have then.
I’ll be able to think things and say things without worrying about them offending God.
Christians today seems to have lost sight of holiness, because we’ve lost track of the rewards of the Christians.
In fact, most Christians today treat the Church like a lodge or club. Ain’t they going to be surprised?
3: Heaven is a Happy Place. Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Even the Baptists will be happy. Imagine that………
The Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is our strength” Nehemiah.
Aren’t you tired of trying to comfort those who have lost a loved one? Or those whose home is about to fold up? Or trying to give peace to those dying with disease’s? Man I am, I get tired of going to the hospitals and seeing people kept alive with machines and tubes and needles. But friend heaven is a happy place.
I like the chorus that goes,
I’ll be glad when the day is done, I’ll be glad when the victory’s won, they’ll be no sorrow in God’s tomorrow, I’ll be so glad when Jesus comes.
It’s going to be a wonderful place this place called heaven.
What would you do if you could go there right now? What would you like to do when we get there?
You see, we’re not going to be floating around on clouds, strumming harps. We’re not going to be a bunch of flying spirits. If that’s the case, God would have made an airport so we could take off and land when we needed to. But God didn’t build a landing strip, God built a city.
What are we going to do? What will we see? I’d like to take a sight seeing tour wouldn’t you?
4: I’d like to see the Book that has my name in it. Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Philippians 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.
I had a Pastor once who mentioned something to me and it stuck with me. “He said he would like to look over the shoulder of the angel when he wrote his name in the book”. That stuck with me, now I admit I don’t know how it was written in, or by whom. I know why it was written, and that excites me.
But can you imagine the penmanship? I want to see that book. I got saved 24 years ago, God placed my name in that book never to be taken out. Every time I messed up God never erased my name, if that would be the case friend the angels would be worn out by now. I’m a over comer, with the promise my name will never ever be taken out of that book. Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Amen!!!! This is a promise, not a threat friend. Duh huh.
God is sovereign friend, I want to see that Book
5: I’d like to see the Bottle that’s got our tears in it. Psalms 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? Now admit it, you never knew that was in the Bible did you? It’s a big Book brother, better read it sometime. You didn’t know God kept really good track of you did you?
David also said, Psalms 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Job said, Job 16:20 My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God. Friend God is eternal, He wastes nothing. Everything we do or that happens to us God is interested in.
There have been many of God’s people pour out their hearts to God, many of God’s men have cried tears over the flock of God they are in charge of. He’s not a hireling, He loves God’s sheep. Many of Saints have shed tears because of sin, because of persecution. Do you think those tears were wasted? Not hardly.
Many of dear precious saints have wept, and cried over the problems of life. Homes where the devil has gotten in and broken up. God has those tears friends, they are not wasted.
6: I want to see the Bride Dressed for the Wedding. Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
You and I may not look like much of a bride, but we are the bride of Christ.
Of all the beauty, of all the weddings down through time they must have been something to see.
Rebekah for Isaac, Ruth for Boaz, but nothing will compare to the bride adorned for Jesus Christ.
When I talk to a couple before marriage I try and tell the groom two things for sure, one, he can’t separate that bride from her mother, so don’t try. Two, The people really didn’t come to the Church to see him.
But this bride, I want to see her in all her glory, adorned for her husband.
7: I want to see the Brother I’ve never seen. Mark 3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
Somebody might say, Preacher are you saying Jesus is your brother? Yes, we both have the same Father.
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Him.
You see we’ve gotten our eyes off that place, it’s another car, another CD, another dollar saved. A place on the river, another promotion.
Friend this world is not our home, so don’t drive your tent pegs in too deep, we’re headed out of here.
I not only want to see some things when I get there, I want to say some things over there too.
I’m glad I don’t have to speculate, because the conversations are already recorded.
8: I want to Praise the Lamb of God. Revelation 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
People need to get their mind off man and get it back on the beautiful Son of God.
People need to get warmed up over here, because we’re going to praise the Lamb of God over there.
It is something dying out in America today. Old time heart felt Praise. It’s all been but snuffed out by this emotional stuff going on today.
Christian Rock, Charismatic emotionalism, Folks had better get in that Book friend. When music gets your foot to tapping before it stirs your heart you better dump it.
I’d like to stand at the gate, I know I can’t but I’d like to. And when some fo the folks I’ve pastored down through the years come in and start shouting, I’d like to tell them, now don’t get excited, don’t lose your dignity, you never did it down there so be careful up here. But I know I won’t get to do that. But boy, as a Pastor, I would sure like to.
We ought to warm up a little over here friend so it wont be so strange for us over there.
9: I want to Sing in that Heavenly Choir. Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
I admit I can’t sing, can’t carry a tune if I had to. IN fact, I use to run a D-9 Bulldozer at work and would open the doors on it and sing as loud as I could. It sounded real nice too.
But I think about Moses when the Children of Israel crossed the Red Sea. When they got on the other side. They started singing about Pharaohs army drowning.
Imagine this, about 2 ½ million people. It must have been something when they cranked it up…….
It’s going to be something when the Church cranks it up friends.
Beethoven and Bach won’t be writing the songs either brother. I think it’s going to be alive, and surely God will let some of us country boys crank it up.
I don’t know how anybody is going to stay quiet over there. We’ve gotten to the place we’ve longed for, the place we’ve thought about. I think there will be praising and shouting going on.
I say it will be wonderful too don’t you? IN fact, I think we’ll shout because of some things that are there, but I think we’ll shout too because of some things NOT there too brother.
If you disagree with me, well, talk to your Pastor about it.
No more Adversary, aggravation, agitation, annoyance, athlete’s foot, adultery, abortion, aides. No more Bunions, baldness, backache, bitterness, broken bones, broken homes, beer, bad business meetings. No more Cancer, cemetery’s, confusions, crime, cussing, complaining, car wrecks, crutches, no more Clinton no more.
No more Divorce, dope, deceit, dandruff, disappointments, death, no more devil no more.
No more Evil, enemies, ear wax, eye glasses, no More Funerals, false teeth, fads, fears failings, fightings, fussing, feuding, no more fault findings.
No more Garbage dumps, gout, good byes, gripen, guilt, no more Gore.
No more heart attacks, hearing aides, hospitals, high blood pressure. No more Insurance, Insane Asylums, Immorality, Idolatry, incest, insects.
No more jails, jealousy, kidney stones, killings, no more liars, liberal preachers, long hair on men, liquor, lice. No more misunderstandings, mucus mosquitoes, no more newspapers, nastiness, nudity, no more needs. No more oppositions, obstacles, obituaries no more policemen, pain, pornography, pills problems, politicians, no more quarrels, questions, quitting, no more queers. No more rebellion, rock music, rap music, roaches. No more sickness, sorrows, snot sinus infections, snakes sweat, selfishness, shackin up, stealing, stupidity, no more sin no more.
No more toothaches, toe jams, tobacco, television, tears, trials, toupees, no more wayward children, wheelchairs, waterbugs, no more worldly churches, no more x rated movies, no more yielding to sin, youthful lust, no more zigzagging no more.
Sometimes if you’re like me, I can’t wait to get there friend, Heaven is a real place. I want to see the people who have outstripped me and went on.
Some of those old preachers who saw something in me I never thought was in there. Those who stood up and helped me when those good ole saints of God was wanting to hang me out to dry, I want to see them.
Heaven is real, no matter what Oprah says, no matter what Donahue says, no matter what anybody says.
If you get there before I do, if you beat me there, tell those old preachers that have gone on, I’m still in the battle.
Amen and Amen.
