Heaven on My Mind

John 3:16; 14:1-6

The security of our salvation and the hope of heaven are the Lord’s encouragements to help us through the many challenges we face. These truths possess great power to encourage us believers even when facing death.

                                                                       

Today I hope to encourage you to look to God and His Word daily to find the encouragements you need. Every child of God ought to know this to inform our anticipations of Heaven. In addition, spiritual and emotional strength is gained to continue under the stresses and strains we all must face. By looking forward to the joys of Heaven, God ministers grace deep within.

The Lord Jesus gave Himself to encouraging the heavy and discouraged heart as He does in John 14.  His exact words are “Let not your heart be troubled." Note that even the best of God's people may be at times in a discouraged and distrustful mood. But, Jesus takes delight in comforting his saints and lightening the burden of a heavy heart.  This is the same Jesus who also said, “Come unto me, ... and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28).  Clearly comfort and encouragement awaits us in Jesus Christ, the great Comforter.

I also think it is worth mentioning that Jesus did not use idle words to encourage with, but solid biblical promises to stimulate our faith. “Believe in God, believe also in me.” (Jn. 14:1) is His apt counsel. Yes, faith is required. Jesus invites us to have confidence in Him. There must be faith in God, who has provided an eternal home for his children in Heaven. Beloved, there is great comfort in the thought of the Fatherhood of God and our heavenly mansions awaiting us.

There must be faith in Christ, who, as the Mediator, will realize what the Father has promised. The belief that brings comfort to us is not merely accepting theological truths, but actual trust in a Person— Christ Himself who is distinguished by love, faithfulness, and power.  Thus we can trust Him because we KNOW that He loves us, certainly He is always faithful, and He has the power and ability to address any challenge we face.

 

Throughout the New Testament we have numerous references to our heavenly home and to eternal life.  Even so, a significant number of Christians struggle and are discouraged about their spiritual state and about their future. They question whether they are truly saved. They wonder if they will go to Heaven when they die.  Or they simply lost sight of the blessed realities of eternity because they are bombarded with the painful realities of today.  Often we miss the awe of the sweet by and by because we are so focused on the nasty now and now. So, let’s take a minute to consider four encouraging realities about our eternal heavenly home.

   1.  Heaven is a Place Prepared for Believers.

Jesus wanted His disciples to be assured that they would have a heavenly home. He comforted them by saying this in John 14:1-6. Jesus' words show that the way to eternal life, though unseen, is secure -- as secure as your trust in Jesus. He has already prepared the way to eternal life. The only issue that may still be unsettled is your willingness to believe.

            A.  Jesus Is Preparing Places in Heaven for Us.

There are few verses in Scripture that describe eternal life, but these few verses are rich with promises. Here Jesus says, "I go and prepare a place for you," and "I will come again, and receive you unto myself." We can look forward to eternal life because Jesus has promised it to all who believe in him. Although the details of eternity are unknown, we need not fear, because Jesus is preparing for us and will spend eternity with us.

Jesus not only is preparing a heavenly home for us, but He has provided the means for us to enter into that home. As sure as our salvation is the surety of heaven!

            B.  We will Fellowship with One Another.

Christ designed the Christian life for fellowship.  Here on earth, stuck in imperfection, we do not experience that full fellowship much of the time.

                   1.  Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee used to say, “To live above with saints we love, oh, that will be glory. To live below with saints we know, well, that's another story.” And so it is. Fellowship down here is imperfect and often broken. But up there, not so. It will be perfect and whole.

                   2.  Have you ever been in a quiet, intimate conversation and felt you were experiencing something special? That sense of bonding with the people will be with us in Heaven, I believe. And much, much more.

                   3.  In the New Testament, Paul speaks of the resurrection of the dead in the plural: Dead and living believers will be raised together, sharing in this marvelous event (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). So we will be reunited with our believing loved ones who died before us.  Even our praise to God in heaven will be done together (Revelation 5:11–13). There will be great feasts (Matthew 8:11), a wonderful wedding ceremony (Revelation 19:7–9), glorious worship experiences (Revelation 5:11-14; 19:1–8). It will be all for one and one for all!

   2.  Heaven is a Glorious Dwelling Place With God.

And what a glorious place our heavenly home is going to be! John described it as a place where all things will be made new and where there will be no more sorrow, suffering, or pain. We will live in the everlasting presence of God (Rev. 21:3–5).

         A.  It Isn't What, but WHO Is in Heaven That Matters.

Rev. 4:1-2,  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. [2] And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

               1.  We will Receive a Full View of God’s Glory.

Chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation record glimpses into OUR Father’s and Christ's glory.  Here we see into the throne room of Heaven. God is on the throne and orchestrating all the events that John records. The world is not spinning out of control; the God of creation will carry out his plans as Christ initiates the final battle with the forces of evil. John shows us Heaven before showing us earth so that we will not be frightened by future events.

              2.  We Will Delight in Eternal Fellowship With God in Heaven.

Beyond the heartening and stupefying size and beauty of Heaven, it is more important to understand that in Heaven we will enjoy eternal fellowship with God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (three, yet one). Also, we will reign over the universe as vice-regents of Jesus, and we will have eternal fellowship with the rest of God's people from all nations and all periods of history.

              3.  We will Worship God.

                     a. I know what it's like to be bored in church.

As a four- or five-year-old child, I remember being scolded by my grandmother because I had found an empty pew all to myself, where I had lain down and then crawled, twisted, squirmed, and banged my shoes against the mahogany pews. Instead of “behaving” and paying attention in church, I made a general distraction of myself. I have never done that again, on the outside, but on the inside, I have done it many times. The most recent time was not long ago!  So I realize that it will not make heaven sound too appealing to some of us to say that the first thing we will do there is worship God. 

                     b. On the other hand, have you ever been in a terrific worship service, where everything was special and meaningful, for you and others?  Oh, what a grand and moving experience! It is one of life's great joys to be in a good church and stand alongside thousands of others who feel like you do about the great songs of Jesus and our faith. In such times we worship deeply. We are filled with gratitude to God. We are certainly not bored.

                     c. Now, transfer your thoughts to Heaven.

There are millions upon millions of voices. Each one is more beautiful than any voice on earth has ever been. The triune God is there. You are surrounded with beauty that makes the Swiss Alps look like a land fill. All the people sing with deeper conviction and meaning than you have ever heard on earth.  Why . . . its enough to come unglued in there!

         B.  It Is the Absence of Bad, and the Presence of Good!

Rev. 21:3-5, And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. [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. [5] And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.  

                1.  Heaven is more than the absence of bad. Heaven is the beginning of unlimited, unending joy. It is the presence of righteousness and goodness and peace. Heaven is the presence of the triune God. It is the beginning of a life too wonderful even to be imagined in this world.

                2.  To those for whom life is easy, to those who are too young, or have not suffered much, or who are still pinning their hopes for complete happiness on this life, to those who are comfortable in this world, heaven probably seems distant, irrelevant, possibly even foreboding.

                3.  That is the way it seemed to me for so many years. Youth rarely looks forward to heaven. It is too far away, and youth has its hopes attached to something more immediate. But as we grow older, as we realize that the best this world has to offer is not enough, when we finally give up on this world as that which will ever be put right, then Heaven becomes the great hope indeed, the single focus, the Great Expectation that keeps us stable, steadfast, and faithful in this life, while taking joy from the next.

                4.  If there is a Hell, there must also be a Heaven. If Hell is so terrible, then Heaven must be so wonderful. If Hell is everlasting destruction, then Heaven is everlasting life.

    3.  Heaven is a Place that is Free of Confusion.

1 Cor. 13:12, For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

          A.  We Will Have More Answers and Less Confusion.

Heaven is a place where we are going to be totally known, and where we will have a more complete understanding of God, ourselves, and our relationship with Him.

It will be a place where there is no doubt, no confusion, no misunderstanding, no estrangement, and no mis–communication (1 Cor. 13:12)!  As you think on these verses, be encouraged about the home that will one day be yours … forever!

          B.  Often Confusion Is Inspired by Sufferings!

If you have ever really suffered … if you have ever known heartache, or loneliness, or pain … if you have ever been crushed with remorse over sins committed and longed never to sin again … if you have ever come to realize that this world will never satisfy the deepest longings of your heart … then “heaven” ought to be one of the most wonderful words in the human vocabulary.

Heaven. The home of the heart's deepest longings. The end of all suffering, all sorrow, all mourning, and all pain. The end of sin.

           C.  Our Questions and Curiosity Will be Satisfied Then!

                 1.  Vance Havner, a blessed old preacher of a previous generation, once said, “I'm homesick for heaven. It's the hope of heaven that has kept me alive this long.”

                 2.  Another time, he said, “There are a lot of questions the Bible doesn't answer about the Hereafter. But I think one reason is illustrated by the story of a boy sitting down to a bowl of spinach when there's a chocolate cake at the end of the table. He's going to have a rough time eating that spinach when his eyes are on the cake. And if the Lord had explained everything to us about what's ours to come, I think we'd have a rough time with our spinach down here.”  And so it is.

                 3.  The Bible says that there is a Heaven, and it gives some indication of what it is, but it doesn't come close to satisfying our curiosity. However, we can be encouraged and enriched by discovering what the Bible does tell us about that great place. To answer the questions we have about Heaven, we can look at specific Scripture passages and do a little educated speculating as well.

    4.  Heaven is a Place of Eternal Reign With Christ.

Rev. 22:4-5, And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. [5] And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

           A.  We will Reign with Jesus.

If you can't get your kids to clean up their bedrooms, if you get nervous, if there are more than three people present when you speak, if you have trouble just getting to work on time, then you can't imagine reigning with Christ in Heaven. But it will happen. When you get your new body, it will come with capacities never imagined on earth. Same with your mind. [Christ] “ Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.  ” (Philippians 3:21).

           B.  We Don't Know All What it Means to Reign with Christ, but We Have Some Hints. 

It will be with a new body and a new mind that will be perfectly capable of it.  I believe the most humble and totally non-assertive saints will have a great opportunity to rain with Christ. And we will do a fine job of it. We may well rule over saints who were politicians or presidents of large companies, but who were careless about their devotion to Christ.

           C.  Yes, What Christ Inherits We Inherit (Romans 8:16–17).

As He was raised up into heavenly places, so we are raised up into heavenly places, to be seated with Him (Ephesians 2:6–7). In Revelation 22:5, we read that we shall be “and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

God has a wonderful future planned for the true believer in Christ Jesus. It is a future that shouldn't be missed! Those who are elderly and those who are seriously ill are among those who especially need to hear the encouraging word of eternal life and a heavenly home. Be quick to share God's Word with all who are suffering or who may be near death.

Beloved, I recommend looking to God and His Word to find the daily encouragements you need. As believers, we can look forward to Heaven! As we do so, we will gain spiritual and emotional strength for the challenges of today. By looking forward to the joys of a future in Heaven, we experience power to continue on for God’s glory in His grace.