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.
