Heaven

Intro

You all sat through a sermon on hell last week… and came back!

Phew! Troopers, every last one of you

Today we wrap up our series with a look at heaven, our eternal hope

Recap: Thy kingdom come; present heaven/outer darkness; second coming; resurrection and judgment day; hell, and now heaven

What is the nature of our eternal hope?

Pillar: Our Eternal Hope is a New Heaven and New Earth

Cf. Isaiah 65:17.

Cf. Isaiah 66:22.

Cf. 2 Peter 3:13.

Cf. Revelation 21:1. (read all on screen)

New Heaven and New Earth describe God’s renewal of the entire universe

Tell big story of Creation -> Fall -> Redemption -> Recreation

Look at the end; Eden has been remade!

Cf. Revelation 22:1-2.

New = renewal; not destruction

Cf. Romans 8:18-22.

Childbirth = imagery of new life

Our eternal hope is birthed from our current experiences

Greek word new = kainos

Same idea as when Paul says we are a “new creation” in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

There is a new beginning; a new person; a better person

But there is still continuity with the old; you are still you

Instead of buying a new car, think of restoring a classic car… but with some improvements!

Cf. Acts 3:21.

New Heaven and New Earth also describe the marriage between heaven and earth

Current state of affairs:

Heaven = God’s realm; He is on the throne; those that trusted Jesus are present with him

Earth = Our realm, twisted under the weight of sin and the curse, good but not yet perfected as it is meant to be

But for eternity, heaven literally comes down to earth; the 2 become 1

Cf. Revelation 21:1-4.

This means we do NOT fly away to a spiritual, disembodied heaven

Heaven comes to earth

This means that our glimpse of what heaven will be like is deeply grounded in our experience on earth

Move on from pictures of wearing robes and halos, sitting on fluffy white clouds and playing a harp (caricatures)

Don’t get too caught up in Revelation imagery

It is symbolic; signposts as opposed to photographs

Will the streets literally be gold, will there be a sea of glass, will we live in a city in the shape of a cube? Likely not (and not necessary)

If you want to imagine what eternal heaven will be like, imagine the very best of Creation now (and then multiply it!)

Refer to Mark K. sharing about feeling close to God while fishing on a lake in the summer; glimpse of heaven (not for the fish)

Framework: Since the Earth is part of our eternal future, and continuity is part of our hope, we should care for the Earth now

In short, this is one way we can bring a slice of heaven to earth (where we started)

God’s recreation of his wonderful world, which began with the resurrection of Jesus and continues mysteriously as God’s people live in the risen Christ and in the power of his Spirit, means that what we do in Christ and by the Spirit in the present is not wasted. It will last all the way into God’s new world. In fact, it will be enhanced there (N.T. Wright)

Take good care of the earth; take good care of one another; live in such a way that will impact forever

Pillar: Our Eternal Hope is a Resurrected Body

Believing in the resurrection is the source of our eternal hope

Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.

In Judaism, only the Saducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead

This was a distinct part of the hope found in Jewish Scripture (OT)

When we consider our hope to be a disembodied heaven, we fail to heed Paul’s warning about the necessity of the resurrection

“Your faith is futile and you are still in your sins… we are of all people most to be pitied” (v. 17; 19)

Truly a bigger deal than just theological differences

What we believe about heaven and our eternal hope matters; so let’s get it right

Christ is the “firstfruits” of the resurrection

Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20-26.

If we want to know what resurrected bodies look like, take a look at Jesus (first of many)

We see continuity:

Jesus walked and talked with friends, ate and drank, could be touched, and looked like Himself (i.e. scars)

Yet we see something radically different:

At times Jesus masked His appearance (Mary by the tomb and the disciples on the road to Emmaeus)

And as strange as science fiction, Jesus could teleport! (Or at least appear and disappear at will)

Cf. John 20:19; cf. Luke 24:30-31. (on screen)

Notice the pattern? Continuity with the past and transformation into something greater

This is exactly what Paul has in mind...

Just like the new heaven and new earth, there is transformation and continuity in our resurrected bodies

Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44.

Continuity: What is sown is directly related to what grows

When I (I mean Karen) plants a cucumber seed, she FULLY expects a cucumber to grow

It would be crazy to think of carrots or turnips growing instead

Yet even with this continuity, something needs to change

Our current bodies are perishable, dishonored and weak

God knows that for eternity, we need something that is us, but something that is more

Renewal: What is raised a body, and it is you, but it is so much more

“Spiritual” bodies does not mean a lack of physicality

Remember the details we have of the resurrected Jesus

“natural” = psychikos = governed (or animated) by the soul

Has nothing to do with physicality; all about what energizes the body

“spiritual” = pnuematikos = animated by the Spirit

Also has nothing to do with the opposite of physicality

The contrast, again, is not between what we call physical and what we call nonphysical but between corruptible physicality, on the one hand, and incorruptable physicality, on the other (N.T. Wright)

What will our incorruptable physical bodies look like? I have no clue, but they are related to now, and what is needed to inherit our eternal hope in the future

Pillar: Our Eternal Hope is to be With God

Heaven will be full of God’s presence

Cf. Revelation 21:22-27.

God’s glorious presence on earth has always been manifest on His earthly throne in the tabernacle/temple

Eden = walked with Adam and Eve

Tabernacle = pillar of cloud and pillar of fire

Leading the people and then resting in the holy of holies

Temple = glory filled the holy of holies

Cf. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3.

Notice the parallels with Revelation; glory of the Lord = light

Jesus = Immanuel = God with us

The very presence of God took on flesh and dwelt among us

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the Temple was torn (access to the holy of holies)

Holy Spirit of God = abides in us

We are now called the temple of God’s spirit; relationship available now

Yet we still wait for the day when we be with God in fullness

No temple in the New Jerusalem (eternal heaven), because God’s presence is fully everywhere (everywhere is the holy of holies)

No more obstacles of sin and death (defeated)

We will see God face to face

Cf. Revelation 22:3-5.

To see God’s face was to know Him completely, and this is NOT possible now

Cf. Exodus 33:18-23.

We can’t know God fully, because of His holiness and glory, and our sinfulness and mortality

So when we are promised to be able to see God’s face, we can be excited to know Him fully, just as we are fully known by Him

Cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12.

I can hardly imagine what it will be like to know the Creator of the Universe personally, fully, and completely!

What questions will be asnwered? What will His glory be like? How will I feel to understand the love that He chooses to hold for me?

I can only imagine What it will be like When I walk by Your side I can only imagine What my eyes would see When Your face is before me

Surrounded by Your glory What will my heart feel? Will I dance for You Jesus Or in awe of You be still? Will I stand in Your presence Or to my knees, will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine

This personal and complete knowledge of God will be vastly more important than any other relationships in heaven

Will we reunite with loved ones? Absolutely?

What will the nature of our relationships with others be in heaven?

Co-worshippers of God, who commands all of our love and attention

Sometimes, I am convicted that I look forward to seeing others more than Jesus

Yes, I want to meet my daughter for the first time. Yes, I miss my Mom, and I can’t wait to see her again

But I believe she will smile, welcome me home, grab me by the hand, excited to show me Jesus

He is our treasure; He is our hope

Conclusion

Jesus is our treasure; He is also the One who has done what was needed for use to have a secure, eternal hope

On this Thanksgiving weekend, I can think of nothing that we can be more grateful for than our salvation in Christ

So we are going to take communion...

Move into communion instructions; band to play final song as people come up for the elements; we will all partake together once the song is over