Heaven - Why should I be excited about heaven?
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Big Idea:
Big Idea:
Heaven is the gospel restoration of what was always desired.
Intro:
Intro:
Good morning everyone!
Back in June - because of our church’s generosity, sacrifice, and love - I got to go on Sabbatical, spending 3 weeks completely disconnected from work. It was an amazing (and much needed) experience. So, thank you by the way!
During those weeks, one of my favorite things to do was to take walks. I didn’t have a specific destination, time, or mileage in mind. I would put on my shoes and go. And it was extremely refreshing.
But for the two weeks we spent in San Diego, there was a special kind of walk I’d take every morning. We were staying at my mother-in-law’s house where there’s a lot of stuff within walking distance. And every morning, I’d wake up, spend some time in God’s Word, then look to my youngest son (Nole) and say, “You ready?”
With the biggest smile on his face, he’d say, “Yup!” And we’d walk to one of two places:
We’d walk a mile east to a local donut shop.
Or, we’d walk a mile west to Einstein Bagels (fun fact - I used to be a manager for Einstein’s).
And on these walks, we’d just talk. Well, to be honest, it was mostly Nole talking. If you know Nole, you know what I’m talking about. But what made these walks special was...
No time crunch.
No agenda or expectation.
Just Dad and Nole spending time together.
And while my Sabbatical was amazing in so many ways, I can honestly say these daily walks were my favorite moments...
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
I love verse 3, “He restores my soul...” But I really like the way the Message translation puts it...
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
… “You let me catch my breath.” When I think about my walks with Nole, they were a breath of fresh air.
I know we have a pretty diverse group of people in our church family. We have different backgrounds and even present experiences. But I’m gonna go out on a “limb” and bet that for many of us, we could just a breath of fresh air, because it feels like we’re drowning in the busyness of life.
And the busyness doesn’t have to be negative. There’s just so much going on. But regardless of circumstance, we tell ourselves, “I wish I could just catch my breath...”
And it makes me ask, “Why do we all share this feeling?”
Many say it’s because of our modern culture, with it’s technology and pace of life. And they wouldn’t be wrong. But according to Psalm 23, people felt like they were drowning 3000 years ago too! And that culture was radically different! So, why has mankind always felt like we were drowning - barely holding on?
Well, let me suggest this…
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
King Solomon wrote, “God has put eternity in our hearts.” But what does this mean?
In high school, I’d get extreme headaches. I’d also sweat a lot. Additionally, I was very (unexplainably) angry. While I definitely did not follow Jesus at the time (which explained some of my behavior), my behavior plus my symptoms didn’t make sense...
There was no internet back then, so I couldn’t Google it. At first, I thought it was because I needed glasses. My poor sight was causing strain in my head. But after I got glasses, my sight improved, but my symptoms didn’t.
It didn’t make sense. Something was wrong...
Eventually, I went to the doctors. They started with all the standard assessments. Weight, height, etc. But after they took my blood pressure, you could tell SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
They began to quickly ask questions, then proceeded to tell me, “Your blood pressure is 225/135. We need to take you to the ER right now because you could have a stroke.” I’m barely out of high school at the time.
Eventually, I discovered I had a very rare tumor called Pheochromocytoma. We got doctors and nurses in the house who probably have heard of this - but likely have never personally seen it!
When you have a Pheo, you have a tumor on or near your adrenal gland. And basically, the tumor constantly shoots high levels of adrenaline into your body. One doctor told me, “The amount of adrenaline you live with at all times is the same amount a normal person would have the moment they started being chased by an axe murderer.” It creates havoc in your body, hence the blood pressure, sweating, and erratic behavior.
Everything seemed pretty normal on the outside, but I could sense something was VERY WRONG. And that was because there was something inside literally killing me.
Now, consider this: Solomon wrote that God made us for eternity. And in the book of Genesis (the first book of the Bible), we read this...
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Then, over the next few days, God continues to create beautiful things. And at the end of each day, He says, “It is good.”
And on the sixth day...
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
And then, like the 5 previous days...
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
The creation account confirms what Solomon declared. God created mankind to live in eternal perfection - He put “eternity in their hearts.” It was a GOOD earth. But what made it REALLY GOOD was God was with them. They lived in perfect fellowship and love WITH God.
This was what God originally intended for us. In His great love, He created us… to be objects of His love. And we were to constantly flourish, not drown. So, what happened?
Long story short, in the Garden of Eden (where life started), there was a tree that God told Adam and Eve (the first two humans) not to eat from. But Satan deceived them into eating it and they fell into sin (they rebelled against God). And a curse fell upon - not only humans - but all of creation. To put it in more modern terms, SIN BROKE THE WORLD.
God created Adam and Eve to exist in eternal perfection and love. This was His design and desire. But by their own choice (free will) they rejected that purpose and sinned. And because we all descend from Adam and Eve...
We too are made with eternity in our hearts.
But they also passed on to us the curse of sin (to live in beautiful relationship with God).
Yet, as children of Adam, we too willfully rebel/sin against God.
And so we too are cursed.
Therefore, part of us (made in the image of God) senses “eternity in our hearts”. At the same time, our present cursed experience tells us something is WRONG.
The apostle Paul put it this way...
I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Paul wanted eternity, but realized something was broken. And that something is sin. No matter how hard he tried to swim towards eternity, he continued to drown in his sin.
And I believe the same thing is true for us. It’s why we share this sense of drowning. We are made for eternal life with God, but we’re drowning in sin...
However, as Paul drowns in sin, look at what he writes next… (wondering what to do next… who will save him from drowning...)
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Even though we are drowning in sin, there is hope. Jesus (God in the flesh) is ready to rescue us. He came to save us and bring us back into what God originally designed and desired for our lives!
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
That’s exactly what we’ve been talking about… we’re drowning in our sins...
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Here’s the good news (gospel)...
God created us to live with him in eternal perfection and love.
But sin broke everything.
And while our sin is great, Jesus our Savior is greater. And He has come to make everything right.
And anyone who turns from their sin and puts their faith in Jesus will be forgiven and receive new life - eternal life. They will live with God forever, just as He had original designed and desired!
And at the end of “this Book,” we get a picture of what this looks like...
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
One day restoration is coming! And another phrase we can use to refer to this glorious future is HEAVEN. One day, those who belong to Jesus be in Heaven - the eternal breath of fresh air. And we will NEVER AGAIN feel like we’re drowning.
And this hope should excite us. But let’s be honest… many times it doesn’t...
Sometimes, when thinking of Heaven, we say...
I’ve heard Heaven is going to be one giant worship service. I love Jesus. I like music. But that sounds really boring...
I hope Jesus doesn’t come back too soon (and take me to Heaven). I still haven’t gotten married or done the things I’ve truly wanted to do on earth...
I heard there is no marriage in Heaven. I love my spouse. I don’t want to spend eternity without them.
I think I’d rather join the devil in hell because (in the words of Jagged Edge) that’s “Where the party at!”
And here’s where I’m going with all of this… many times we’re not excited about Heaven because...
We don’t know anything about the biblical Heaven.
The devil (maybe even thru culture) has lied to us about Heaven.
The church has done a bad job teaching on Heaven.
And that’s why - for the next 6 weeks - we are doing a sermon series on Heaven. And that was the longest sermon intro ever! But in this series, I’m gonna talk about...
What Heaven is...
What it’s not...
What will it be like, what we will do, who will be there, and much more!
And my goal is, by Christmas, we are all extremely excited about going to Heaven. So much so that our lives here are radically impacted and different because of our heavenly focus. That we would be like what Paul writes about…
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.
Body:
Body:
But before we get to close, I’d like to whet our appetite for Heaven. I’d like to quickly give us a few reasons why we should be excited for Heaven by addressing 3 common questions we ask in this life...
What’s my purpose?
What’s my purpose?
How many of us ask this question? We ask it because it’s important. We want our lives to matter. And many times, we spend our lives (even to the point of drowning) pursuing purpose. But here’s what we don’t always think about...
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The reason we are concerned about purpose is because God created us FOR A PURPOSE. We are not random or coincidence. We are SPECIAL to God.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
God created us for purpose, which is why we search and strive for it. It’s by design, whether we realize it or not!
But here is how purpose is connected to Heaven. When Paul writes about the good works God created us for (purpose), I don’t believe those good works are limited to this life.
I believe while Heaven will be radically different from the present, but it’ll also be a continuation of God-ordained things. Meaning our God-given purpose follows us into eternity. But in Heaven, we’ll be able to perfectly live out that purpose.
I have a friend who has shared his God-given purpose with me. It involves a numerically impossible task. And at first, he was discouraged because he thought the impossibility disqualified his purpose.
But then we set our eyes on Heaven. And I asked the question, “What if that purpose includes and involves your time in Heaven? If we consider eternity, that number may not be enough!” All of a sudden, a rush of Holy Spirit excitement filled the room.
And we should be excited too! God created us for an eternal purpose. And Heaven doesn’t cancel that purpose, but makes it perfect! Be excited!
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
We’ve all ask that question. It’s a legit question. But here’s two truths we must first acknowledge as we process the answer...
As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”
We talked about this earlier, no one is “good.” We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God.
That being said, I think most of us ask this question because we sense “something is wrong with the world.” And we’ve already talked about this, so there’s no need to be repetitive. But here’s what I’d like to add...
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Even though we live in a broken world (where bad things happen), God takes broken things and makes them beautiful. And here’s how this connects to Heaven...
One day, Jesus is going to finally make all things right. And for all of eternity, we will NEVER AGAIN ask, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Because in Heaven, there is no sin, which means there is no brokenness. And that should excite us!
There has to be more than this!
There has to be more than this!
I know that’s not really a question, but it’s connected to the question, “Is this it?”
With eternity planted in our hearts, we sense there is more to life than what this world offers. And this feeling is supported by biblical truth...
As the author of the Book of Hebrews spoke to a church drowning in suffering (and likely thinking, “There’s got to be more...”, he writes...
You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.
… there is MORE!
And speaking of Abraham, who the Bible calls “the father of our faith,” he says...
Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
Abraham was waiting for something MORE!
And as the author spoke about all the people of faith who came before us, he writes...
But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
In this world, the reason we look for MORE is because...
For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
We were made for Heaven - a infinitely better place! And we should be excited to go there!
Response:
Response:
So, as we close [as the worship team comes up], just know… there’s a lot MORE to say about Heaven. So be excited! And, if you can help it, don’t miss Sunday! Also, invite others because I believe a lot of people have questions about Heaven.
But here’s our final question: As we talk about being excited about Heaven, maybe you’re wondering, “How do we get there?”
Some think that “All paths lead to Heaven.” Let me say that just as the devil has lied to us about being excited about Heaven, he’s also lied about how to get there. And one lie is, “All paths lead to Heaven.”
Another lie is, “We get into Heaven by our good works.” Sometimes that lie sounds like this...
God knows I’m a good person. We’ve addressed that fallacy earlier...
Or, we say “I’ve done more good things than bad things.”
That doesn’t work either. Because here’s what God says about our “good works...”
We are all infected and impure with sin.
When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
Our good works are gross. They will not get us into Heaven.
So, how do we get there?
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
How do we get to Heaven?
We live our sin behind.
And we look to Jesus to save us!
That’s how you get to Heaven! That’s why Jesus says...
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Are you excited about Heaven? Today, do you want to make sure that’s where you’re headed there? Then, pray this with me...
Jesus, I’m sorry for how I’ve been living. I realize that my good works are not enough. I’m drowning in sin. Jesus, please save me. Forgive me for my sin. I’m trusting in what you did on the cross. I’m believe you rose from the dead proving the price for my sin was paid. And just as you rose from the dead, one day, I too will rise and live in Heaven with you. Today, please make that my future! In Jesus name, amen.