We have difficulty not imagining heaven as potentially boring… eternally boring. We initially imagine heaven without the challenges that make us feel alive… without the attachments that make life meaningful… without the tastes of sin that make it flavorful…. and without the earthly vices that offer us comfort.
Similarly many people today have become quite cavalier in regards to their eternal destiny. As they look at religious people…often uptight or self-righteous…they find consolation in their friends who try hard to have a good time and determine, “If my friends are going to be in hell…I’d rather party in hell with my friends.”
Such a cavalier approach neither understands hell, nor heaven.
There is indeed a party that awaits us, but it’s not in hell, it’s in heaven.
Matt. 22:2… “The Kingdom of heaven is like a King who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.”
Jesus loved a party…got in trouble for having too much fun with sinners…sinners who found joy of forgiveness and were willing to follow him.
Last week we caught a glimpse of the freedom that awaits us-a new heaven and earth (Rev.21: 4). Let’s look further into “our final freedom.”
I John 3:1-2. “How great is the love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
Dear friends now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
What has God revealed of our Final Freedom?
1. Our future eternity is one of UNRESTRICTED BODIES!
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits f the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:22-23
Anybody groaning?…I may still have a lot of years on earth…but every year…I find myself more ready for a trade in. Paul says every groan is a reminder we are not home.
II Cor. 5:1-5 “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”
1 Cor. 15:35-40, 42-44, 49-55
But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. …So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
55"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
What is revealed of our future bodies??
1. These bodies are but seeds of what is to come. An acorn doesn’t simply produce an acorn but an oak tree…something of vastly greater proportion.
2. Nature itself reveals there are different kinds of bodies…so it shouldn’t surprise us at all that there will be a great distinction between our earthly bodies and our eternal bodies.
3. Just as we have born the likeness of the earthly man so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven JESUS. Our future bodies in the new heaven and earth will be like his. And what do we know of the resurrected Christ?
· Thomas could place his hand in his side. (John 20:27)
· He ate bread. (Luke 24:42-43)
· He will return as he left. (Acts 1:11)
Our bodies will be unrestricted…but not unrelated to bodies as we now perceive them. They will be the completion of all we were meant to be.
Our bodies will be free from all that is fallen…fragile…and frustrating!
C.S. Lewis - “These small and perishable bodies we now have were given to us as ponies are given to schoolboys. We must learn to manage: not that we may some day be free of horses altogether but that some day we may ride bareback, confident and rejoicing, those greater mounts, those winged, shining and world-shaking horses which perhaps even now expect us with impatience, pawing and snorting in the Kings stables.”
When I think of those who have left their ponies behind…Alice Sigrist, Coin Braun, Bruce Williams…many parents and grand parents we have loved…even now enjoying a new form in the present heaven, and then of such resurrection bodies.
There is much about the life of Charles de Gaulle a great world leader, which is well known. What is not so widely known is that Charles and Evonne de Gaulle were parents of a Down Syndrome child. She was a treasure to them; she was a concern for them. Regardless of what was occurring in the affairs of state, Charles arranged his life so that he and Evonne would have some time almost every day with their infant daughter. When they would put her to bed, and the child had fallen asleep, Evonne would often ask, “Oh Charles, why couldn’t she have been like the others?” As had been predicted by the physicians, the daughter died in her youth. There was a private, graveside Mass, and when the priest had pronounced the benediction, all present began to leave the grave…except for Evonne. In her grief, she could not pull herself away. Charles went back to her, gently touched her on the arm and said, “Come Evonne. Did you not hear the blessing of the priest? She is now like others.” “In this age,” Jesus said, people marry, are given in marriage and die.” In this age people shiver through the night with no place to call home, find themselves deprived of human dignity, and perish from loneliness. That is the way of this age. “But in THAT age,” Jesus goes on to say, and by so saying points towards an age not governed by the captivities of this age. The promise of the gospel is that the possibilities for human life are not contained in the assumption of “this age. (Thomas Long, Professor of Preaching and Worship.)
Our eternal future will enjoy the freedom of unrestricted bodies.
2. Our Future Eternity is one of UNLIMITED FELLOWSHIP.
Fellowship marked by…
UNITY ACROSS SPACE AND TIME
Jesus said “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 8:11 (cf. Rev. 7:9-10)
Do you realize who you’ll be dining with? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…all who have turned their lives towards God through out the ages…but also from every corner.
Rev. 7:9
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.
Article on front page of the Times, (March 9, 97) that helped capture my sense of the heritage we will ultimately share. Scientists found the remains of a Body in a limestone cave in S.W. England believed to be those of a 23 year old hunter…9,000 years old! Using DNA testing they wanted to see if anyone of longstanding families in the area might be a match. And astonishingly discovered a 42 year old school teacher living a half a mile from the burial site was the direct descendent! As the man went on to describe the amazing sense of heritage…connection…I couldn’t help but think what awaits you and me!
WE ARE GOING TO DISCOVER A HERITAGE…A CONNECTION THAT SPANS BOTH SPACE AND TIME from every corner of this earth…and from every age! Talk about great fellowship!!
Our unlimited fellowship will also be marked by
REUNION and RECOGNITION with those we’ve known.
“I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Matt. 26:29
Jesus alludes to a time of reunion
I love times when I can sit down with family or old friends for long periods of time !
> God’s Word points to the same in heaven…
· At transfiguration…we see this with Moses and Elijah.
· After the resurrection, Jesus is addressed…recognized by his disciples…a temporary reunion.
· Paul describes the future of seeing him “face to face.”
Joni Eareckson Tada, paralyzed from the shoulders down after a diving accident in her teens…is known for her incredible joy…a joy she finds infused in heaven. “My assurance of heaven is so alive that I’ve been making dates with friends to do all sorts of fun things once we get our new bodies. I don’t take these appointments lightly!
(MacArthur p. 53)
Do you have some people you’ll look forward to seeing?
· How about our worship leader Bill Worthy. In heaven you can ask him what kind of inspiration he finds for worship songs!
· Paul…about working with angelic choirs.
· Valinda…to see her joy as she shares in the children’s ministry (…of course it is all going to be a children’s ministry …for we will all be children.)
…and this leads to another mark of our unlimited fellowship.
JOY AND LAUGHTER.
If you ever get the idea that heaven may be a bit too serious…remember that the weight of the world as we know it will be gone.
· Rev. 21:4 (Last week) “He will wipe away all tears…there will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain…for the old order will be gone.”
· Jesus tells us that heaven is a place of joy and laughter. In each of the parables in Luke 15…the shepherd who goes to find the one lost sheep…woman who finds her lost coin…Father whose prodigal son returns. In every case, he concludes by declaring there is joy and laughter in heaven.
· Sermon on the Mount….his ultimate description about the Kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” Luke 6:21 (cf. Parables revealing the joy in heaven Luke 15:7, 10, 32) likely the laughter of joyous reunions.
· Psalmist…Let’s state Psalm 16:11 together. “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
…and the final freedom to consider…
3. Our future eternity is one of UNQUESTIONABLE SIGNIFICANCE.
As we have already seen…our eternal life will one day usher forth a new heaven and new earth…eternally united as one with God…it will be a completed existence in which we will have freedom of bodies…freedom of fellowship. Which only leaves the question of what we will do?…In what will be a part of…what type of significance and activity we will have.
The Old Testament saints in particular are spoken of as RESTING in the presence of God.
· The idea of rest certainly sounds good to a lot of us!
· In London, England, a gravestone epitaph, written by an obviously overworked mother reads:
“Weep not for me, friend
Though death do us sever
I am going to do nothing
Forever and ever.”
That may sound good…but if you are an activist the idea of being idle forever may sound boring…Rest assured, that’s not the type of rest being referred to.
Israelites were a nomadic people “Hebrew” alludes to their wandering without home. That’s the kind of rest we have ahead… the type that comes home.
Our eternal future indeed be one of rest…rest from our restless wanderings…it’s a moment when our ultimate significance and purpose will be set free.
Concluding all that is said of our eternal future…
“No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. and they will reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 22:3-5.
There is a glimpse of our eternal significance. We will serve God, see God, and reign forever. That is, our lives will share in his glory. What is pictured is how our very existence will naturally honor God. This will be the natural result of seeing him. Honor will just be our state. Martin Luther “That sight will give us quite enough to do.”…The image is often given of worshiping him in singing…in a choir of all who have been redeemed…a quite glorious part…but I think there is a richness of honor that singing only represents.
I find what moves me most even now is when I see honor given where honor is due. (When some unseen hero…unseen servant, finally has all attention turned to them…whether an outstanding teacher…or…I just lost it…it’s a joy of its own kind. And that is the joy of heaven…God who is all giving honored as such.
And I believe there’s a special part of that honor that you will bring.
Rev. 21: The Kings of this earth will each bring their splendor to the glory and honor of heaven…that is, they will bring what they uniquely represent. Just as it is significant that every tongue, tribe, and nation are part because the diversity reveals the fullness of God’s glory who made all people…so is their significance in your unique presence. If we were to all honor Katherine this morning, we might say figuratively that we were singing her praises but in fact those praises would each be different and distinct…united in their diversity.
So significant is our role that it is said here that “WE WILL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER.” Not simply rest forever, but reign forever. Living in the light of God…as described, we will both serve his glory and share in it as we share in reigning over all that is newly created.
Unrestricted Bodies. Unlimited Fellowship. Unquestionable Significance. Perhaps some of us have imagined heaven as a little stiff…so it hasn’t filled us with any deep joy. In truth, we are not simply told of a future in which God simply says “Take off your coat and relax,” but God says, “Take off your worn body…slip into something more comfortable; welcome to unlimited fellowship and fullness of life…There is a feast prepared… a party waiting!”
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.”
