So what do you think heaven's going to be like? All of you have thought about it, some point or another. We all have our own ideas, don't we? You know, he kind of bursts my bubble that we can't fly around.
That is what I want to do in heaven. I want to do it down here, but you know, I know I just, I can jump off here. I'll fly for just about a second and that's about it. Hit the ground.
So, so what do you think will, heaven will be like, let me give you a couple announcements real quick and then we'll get into this. Pastor Mark has challenged us this past weekend. He has a spiritual challenge starting in September and we'll give you the dates later. 80 days of reading the Bible and we will put that together and have that for you.
80 days of reading the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs and also attending church every Sunday. Lynn Wheeler is going to be with us September 18th, put that under calendar. And then lastly, Pastor Mark is over at the Jefferson campus and happy to announce that we do, we did hire a youth pastor. And so September, I think seventh is when he starts.
And so be praying for him, he's coming from Nebraska, him and his wife and he is the D.Y.D., the district youth director for Nebraska. His wife is a youth pastor there in Nebraska, church that they attend. So be praying for them, be praying for us through this transition. So, and he's sharing some vision and other things up there.
So having angels, harps, sing family, talking to Peter, Abraham, the streets of gold, flying around. Yes, we want it all. So what heaven is, right? It's kind of like you know, you run to race because Paul even says he goes, I've run to race, I fought the good fight and now I go and claim the prize.
We want something good in that prize. And it's just to run a race and to get a ribbon at the end. I don't know why people run marathons. You know, then you just get this little marathons, you just get this little ribbon at the end.
I want more than that. If I'm going to run 26.2 miles, I want something more than just a little ribbon. So yeah, get a decal for your car. I like the one that says 0.1.
Is there more? Let's leave me at that. We've all thought about it from time to time. You've heard others describe it also of what they think that heaven will be like.
And here's the thing, nobody really knows that lives on earth because we've never visited. We've never been there and we've never come back. Randy Acorn, Alcorn, I'm sorry, shares something that the video tonight really make you think. What will it be like?
We really don't know because we've never been there. The happiest place on earth is all Disney World. And if you've ever been to all Disney World or Disneyland, you can come back and describe it. I've been there one while I've been there was a kid that took our kids there a few years ago.
And I can tell you some of the details of those things because I've been to the happiest place on earth while Disney World as they call it. But to say that I've been to heaven, no. Have I had a glimpse of heaven? No.
So I don't know what it's going to be like. So I've got a lot of scripture tonight and let's go through this so I can get it done. Number one, the present perspective. We can take a lot of things, but it's really God's creation.
And if you go back to the very beginning in Genesis chapter 1, verses 1 and 8, 1 in scriptures you talked about. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And then verse 8, God called the expanse heaven. We see that at the beginning.
Heaven is used in the Bible 637 times. So there is something there that he wants to share with us. And there's something that he wants us to know about it. In Genesis chapter 22 we see the angel of the Lord calling out to Abraham from heaven.
We see also on the story of Elijah that when he is taken up that the cherry comes down in the whirlwind and takes him where? To heaven. There's so many scriptures about heaven in the Bible. Psalms 19, 1, the heavens are telling the glory of God and their expanse in declaring the work of his hand.
The heavens are telling the glory of God and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands. Ever wonder why God even made heaven? Here's another good question. Why did God even make heaven?
Of course, you know that it all started out with paradise here and that God created Adam and Eve and they were in a place that was supposed to last forever, that it was supposed to be sinless, that they were supposed to enjoy life. And if we had that tonight, we probably wouldn't be in this building, we'd probably be walking around without any clothes on, probably wouldn't have any sickness or anything else, we'd be happy. But because the sin came in, God has now given us a way. Why earth for a short time and then when we leave this earth, we go to heaven for Christians when they die.
And we can see also in the New Testament, Matthew chapter three, verses 16 and 17. It's where God dwells. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the spirit of God descending as a dove and lightning on him and behold a voice out of the heavens said, this is my son and who I am, well please, God speaking from heaven, God speaking from heaven. In the Lord's prayer, we said, our Father, who where?
Art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. That's where we put him also. It is a place where we find God the Father. Remember a number of years ago and some of you heard me tell the story before that I've always been pretty happy in the workplace and somebody asked me one time, why are you always happy?
And I said, well, because I prayed the God and he's on the throne. And they said, how do you know he's on the throne? I said, because that's where he was just a few minutes ago when I was talking to him. And I really believe that in my life.
That's where he is. He's waiting for me to come to him and in heaven. And so they got even more depressed when I shared that with him. So it's a place where we long to be when we pass from this earth.
It's a place that we long to be when we pass from this earth, heaven. And yes, I think that we'll be with family and friends and we will see so many amazing things. And I think through the years from me, heaven has taken on a bigger and bigger thought in my mind. And I think maybe even as I get closer to that time of leaving this earth, that I think a little bit more about it in my life.
I know a lot of people have said that. It's nothing that we should fear. The fear always comes in how is it going to happen? I've been by many people, deathbed, and I've seen a lot of people pass away.
And you know, Chile, there's not a whole lot of suffering involved in that. There's suffering from the family who was left there. Yes. And I've seen many people mourn and we've been crying and just really call out to God.
But it is passing from this life where we do have pain sorrow and suffering to a life of enjoyment. Life of enjoyment. Jesus also spoke to the thief that was hanging on the cross and he said, you will be with me in paradise. Now, paradise is also the same as heaven.
Jesus called it a place best described by man as man is translating the word of God from the Latin and Greek, paradise, to be similar to heaven. John struggled and even said words cannot even describe. Paul used the same word in 2 Corinthians 12, 3, and 4. And I know, and I know, I'm saying, and I know how such a man, whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know.
God knows was caught up into paradise. He's talking about himself and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. It's also used in Revelation 2, 7. John addressing the church of emphasis.
He who has ear led him here with the spirit says to the churches, to him who overcomes, I will grant him to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. So there's lots of verses that we can see talking about heaven. And I could really go on for hours and hours. We could talk for a couple of weeks about heaven.
But God wants us to see that he has a place just for us. Jesus, when he died in rose, he was taken to heaven, accompanied by the angels. In Acts chapter 1, verses 9 through 11. And after he'd said these things, he lifted up.
He was lifted up while they were looking on, and the cloud received him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky, while he was going up, he hold two men in white clothing, stood beside him. They also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come again at the same way that you have watched him go into heaven.
That's where Jesus is. It's where we find Jesus, the Son. We find God, the Father. And Jesus is praying for us, interceding for us.
And I'm getting nervous. There's coming a day that, as the scripture says, that Jesus will return to take his bride, those who have accepted him as Lord and Savior, who walk after him, try and live a righteous life, a holy life day by day, that when we have run our race, when we have fought our good fight, then we will find that there is a prize, heaven, heaven. And for that, we should be happy. Hopefully, you're happy about that.
Because if this is all that there is in this life, and that's it, and when we die, it gets worse. Because he even said it. He goes, do you think heaven's inferior to where we're living now? He says, no, and I agree with him.
I agree with Randy. I think it's going to be even more amazing than what we could ever think, what we could ever see with our eye. But there is a new heaven and a new earth. And you can turn to 2 Peter 3, verses three through 10.
Know this first of all, that in the last days, mockers will come with their mocking following after their own lust and saying, where's the promise of his coming? For ever since, the Father's fall asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. And to a certain extent, you can understand why the mockers are saying this. It's just getting worse and worse.
It's not getting better. For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God, the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of the water by water through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by his word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire. Kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise as counselowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any would perish but that all would come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up. But according to verse 13, but according to his promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
So what we know is heaven and earth right now is gonna be destroyed and God is gonna have another where we will have a glorified body or we will be able to just worship and be with him. The glorifying him. Now as Randy said some things and I really made me think, I'd really never thought about sports in heaven. I'll give you my opinion, I don't think there will be sports in heaven.
So if there are the Steelers will be there because I know that's my team and whatever your team is, they'll be there too. I don't know, we don't see anything about sports in the word of God and I wanna be literal, yes. But we also can allow our imagination to wander just a little bit as long as it doesn't go too far in that. There's a time when we will be caught up away into heaven.
There will be destruction of this present heaven and earth. What will you look like? I don't know because I've never again seen a glorified body. So I've seen an angel, she's working over the nursery and Fridays are birthday and I know those things about her.
She lives with me. Some of you took a few things. I had to describe her a little bit more didn't you? Read the book of Revelation in 21 and 22 and you get a little glimpse of what is yet to come.
What is yet to come. In Revelation 21, let's read the first five verses. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth passed away and there is no longer any sea. Oh, so we know something, it's not gonna be there.
And I saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride, adorned for husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men and he will dwell among them and they shall be, be his people and God himself will be among them. And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any morning or crying or pain.
And the first things that passed away and he who sits on the throne behold, I am making all things new and he said, write these words for these, right? I'm sorry, right for these words are faithful and true. A new heaven and a new earth that God is gonna create. In Israel, he talked about the New Jerusalem in the very presence of God.
His glory will be there. Moses, if you go back to that story, he said, let me see your glory. And so God takes Moses, he hides him in the cleft of the rock, puts his hand over it and he walks past. That when he gets past, he lets his hand go that Moses can see a glimpse, just a glimpse.
Because at this point, we're really, our bodies just wouldn't take it. Moses, as we know, shines with the glory of God when he comes down from the mountain. He goes on in 21 and 22 of Revelation, describes the gates and the foundation and river and the tree and the walls and all those different things. And your imagination can again go wild in what you think that it would be.
We have all probably have said something like when I get to have an eye. We have songs written about it, we have books written about it, we have all kinds of things. There's people who have preached many messages on heaven. And what it's gonna be.
I can't tell you, I don't know, I've never been there. I've only been to the happiest place on earth. Not the happiest place in heaven. We need to understand that.
Listen, God is thinking about us because he loves us so much. And it's just like any father with a son or a daughter, he wants the best for them. So he's gonna make this special for us. But we just have to keep walking through this life and we have to keep asking God, help us, help us, help us.
To be sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those that we come across them and what the cross means. To see that there's the forgiveness of sins, that the grace that God has given unto us, our job is to be a witness of what God has done for me here so that I can also tell them about what is yet to come. There's so many people who do not have faith, do not have peace. And I have been by the bedside of many who struggled when they were dying because they didn't have a peace of what was yet to come.
Hopefully today you do. If not, it's something that you really need to seek out about. And I've talked with a few people, I've talked to Kim and people who understand, I've done a lot of funerals. And I've worked out my death.
Not I'm gonna die or anything, but just if I die or if somebody else dies. It's all part of life. It's all part of life. Now yeah, I'll be sad.
Yes, in fact, I have cried with people. I didn't even know that I was doing their funeral because it is a time of mourning with those who mourn, but it's a time of graduation. I'm going to that which is even greater than what we have now. It's kinda like going back to Walt Disney World.
I say so many times that if we'd walk into Walt Disney World and we'd be there for half an hour of me and Kim and the kids and I'd say, okay, let's go. They're not gonna be too happy. They're not gonna be happy about that. So why would I wanna tell somebody about heaven how great it is and then not share how to get there if they don't already know?
Or to have somebody go to heaven and because of my selfishness, I'd like to have my grandfather back bring him out of the happiest place of all. That'd be heaven. So number three, our eternal perspective. Matthew chapter five, 11 and 12.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven. Your reward in heaven is great for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. This is the attitudes and this is the last one, but you can also see that there's also heaven talked about in two others about being poor in spirit and also being persecuted that they receive heaven.
Church, there is a work for us to do. This gift called heaven should bring hope to our lives. It should help us to know that every day that I need to live a righteous and holy life that when I finish my course, I find heaven. To know that when you die, you will see the one who has created us and he will have an eternity for you in his glory.
That we will live forever in a glorified body. No more suffering, no more aches, pain, sorrows, tears, no more poison ivy. Thank you, Jesus. I thought about, some of you don't know I had poison ivy, I shared it last Wednesday.
If you want to see a picture of me Thursday morning, this whole side of my face was just swollen and my eye was shut and I thought about putting it up on the screen but I didn't want to scare you. At one point, laying in bed like this and my wife could see this side of my face which was swollen and she's looking at me, she goes, who are you? It was literally that bad. So still have a few spots to go.
Can't wait for that glorified body, no more poison ivy. We need to understand that life is short and that earth is just a short breath of what eternity is going to be all about. I only understand it only 54 years. You understand how old you are, that's it.
You can't understand 100 years because you haven't lived 100 years. Methuza looked good, he said, I know what 100 years looks like, I know what 200 years, 300 years, 400. We only understand what we've lived but eternity. When we've been there as the song says, 10,000 years.
Wow. Will you get what you want? I don't know but you'll get what God knows that you need and that's what's great. There's a little movie, and if you ever get the chance, it's a great little movie, it'll make you laugh.
I remember seeing it in this church when I was in a youth group, it's called the music box and maybe some of you have seen it, Phil's laughing because he knows what it's about. Got these guys, this man, he works in a factory. I think he puts caps on bottles. Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, all day long.
And on his way home one day, he finds this little box and he opens up in this music place. Well, it's such a bright song that he shuts a lid. And then he opens it up again, this music comes out and after a while he starts dancing around in this little alleyway. Well, I think there's four guys that are dressed in white tuxedos with these little wings on their back.
They start dancing around him and singing and doing all kinds of things. And he doesn't share it with anybody. He keeps it to himself. He goes home and he goes into the bathroom where he thinks that nobody will see or hear him.
And he opens up this music box. Now the four guys are in the bathtub. Like I said, it's really kind of corny. But they're singing and they're dancing and his wife is outside the door like what is going on in the bathroom.
Here we get, it's only about half an hour. It's on YouTube, go and watch it. And before you go to bed, it's a great little movie. But what happens is that eventually he learns that he has to share the gift that's been given to him.
What are you doing about letting the others know about truth? What have you told others about heaven? What about the gift that you have? Are you sharing it?
That has given us a gift. When we accepted Jesus Christ into our lives, when we said, I'm going to walk after you, it wasn't just that we could have things here on earth, but there was a promise of heaven yet to come. They came with that. And we still need to walk the holy life and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us.
Our job is to make disciples that others can see Jesus Christ living inside of us and bring glory to him. To help others, to make that eternity the same as we do. In John 17 verses one through five, Jesus spoke these things and lifting up his eyes to the heaven. He said, Father, the hour has come, glorify your son.
The son may glorify you. Even as you gave him authority over all flesh, that to whom you have given him, he may give eternal life. This eternal life that this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, in Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work, which you have given me to do.
Now Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I have with you before the world was. Verse three is the important one. Verse three, from go back to verse three. This is eternal life.
What's eternal life? People ask, what is eternal life? There it is that they may know you, God the Father. The only true God, in Jesus Christ whom you sent.
You want eternal life? It's right there. You know God, and to live after God. And there's the promise that when we have that, eternal life, heaven will come.
In the years that I have walked with God and served him, I have been so happy. Glad that I made that decision many years ago. But there will come a day when either Jesus will come back and take us away, or there'll be a time when I just breathed my last breath. And I'm okay with that.
Because then I know that I will go to heaven. If I keep walking this way, keep listening to God. Keep letting my light shine before a man that they may see. The good works and glorify him.
I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to that day. Not that I want it to come any sooner, no. But I'm looking forward to that day. What is it going to be like?
And are we ready to go? That should make us happy. Because that really is the happiest place of all. Heavenly Father, I thank you.
That you have given us, promise you've given us hope. You've given us your son, Father, the Holy Spirit. And I pray that you would just help us to take this quick little message. Father, and spend a few minutes.
The rest of this week, Father, in the days and months, and years to come to think how amazing you are to give us this thing called heaven. I pray that you would just allow that to just stir in our hearts. Father, to understand that you have it all under control, there'll be a new heaven, a new earth. And Father, this will be burned up, passed away.
But Father, there's also a job for us to do. And that is to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Father, not just for us to go, but for all to go. Because you would want for all to repent, come to a saving grace of your son, Jesus Christ.
I pray that you would just help us. If I understand a little bit more about heaven. To look with bright eyes at what is yet to come, not in fear. And to know that eternity, eternity, is something yet for us to grasp.
But how wonderful it will be to be with you in your glory, in your heaven, in you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.