Sermon Tone Analysis

*That’s One Long Church Service!*

* *

Review:  Need to Know Basis, The Theology of Heaven, What will heaven look like,  What will we look like?

* *

*Introduction:  *Finding Nemo, Fish Escape, Now What?    

Application:  We will have been through this life, struggles, even death—When that curtain is lifted and we have taken our last breath--Now what?

Illustration:  Jimmy Chance and Michal Jackson in hell

            Application:  I’d rather have a good time in hell than be bored in heaven

 

Transition:  Our misconceptions of heaven come from Satan himself.

Revelation 13:5-6--The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority…He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.

Satan’s MO has always been about distorting what God wants for us

            Eden—Adam and Eve

          Every day examples of how Satan distorts what God desires

 

What are some of the ways that Satan fools us into thinking heaven is boring?

Righteousness is boring, Sin is exciting

                   The most basic of Satan’s deceit

                   Has sin ever really made you happy—fulfillment?

What sin really does  (Psalm 1)

 

Some Christians really do have boring lives

          We have been deceived into the status quo

God has called us into adventure not status quo

 

Since we can’t have sustained happiness on earth it must not be possible

          Our minds cannot think past the curse—Total Depravity

 

We have been deceived to think that we are fun loving and God is the boring one—WE ARE THE BORING ONES!

Why isn’t God bored with us?

The REAL QUESTION

                   Illustration:  Dealing with Teens—do they ever listen?

Redemptive History

                   How our story fits into the redemptive story

 

Transition:  If heaven is not boring what will we be doing?

Read Matthew 5:1-12

 

*/I want to propose a few Scriptural principles about heaven that refute the idea of a boring eternity with God./*

 

*You won’t be bored because you will rule with Jesus Christ.*

*          Matt 5:  Yours is the Kingdom of Heaven, inherit the earth*

Revelation 20:6—blessed are the saints for they will reign with Christ forever

                   You will be rewarded according to what you did with the Gospel

                   You will be made rulers over much

                   Other parables claim the same—Matthew 25, 7 etc

 

          Helping God run the universe—there is much to do!

                   Imagine the places you will see

 

          You will also be ruler over all of your weaknesses

 

*You won’t be bored because as a ruler you will be serving Jesus Christ.*

Revelation 7:15—we will serve him day and night

Revelation 22:3—we will serve him in the city

What does it mean to serve?

Action by its very nature

                   How we serve God in this life—vocation, everything we do

                   Service in this life a shadow of what is to come

                             We will serve in ways that bring joy etc

 

          I don’t want to be a servant

                   We have a distorted view of servanthood

                   Jesus calls his servants “friends”—we won’t be mistreated

 

There is no greater reward than true servanthood

          Ex:  People working in the play, The DR, Bringing someone to Christ

          Watching your children succeed, Adoptive Parents

                   Servanthood brings glory to others

 

Appl;  How much greater it will be to serve the Lord of Heaven and Earth and bring him glory?

*We will not be bored because our dreams and missed opportunities will be fulfilled*

*          Matt.

5:  Comforted, filled, shown mercy, you will laugh (Luke 6)*

Illustration--EPXAND ON EACH ONE:  Mother’s asking about children never born

          Young person dies:  What a waste!

Not a waste any longer

          The Grandparent you didn’t spend enough time with

Regrets in relationships are resolved

          That thing you never said and should have will be said

 

          Most importantly, that imperfect relationship with God will be restored

                   Relate to people now:  God knows where your coming from

                             Think of  Friday Night Light Gospel Presentation.

Transition:  Out of all of the theological musings and yes, even imagination we may over look the most important reason why heaven is not a boring place

* *

*You’re with God!*

          Matthew 5:8—blessed are the pure in heart for they shall SEE GOD

                   Explain the impact of seeing God

          I Corinthians 13

                   Read passage

                   Focus on verse 12

                             Now we see a dark reflection of love

                             In heaven intimacy with God 

explain reward of perfect love of the Father in light of description of love

Psalm 16:9-11

          Eternal pleasures

A.A. Hodge:  Heaven, as the eternal home of the divine Man and of all the redeemed members of the human race, must necessarily be thoroughly human in its structure, conditions, and activities.

Its joys and its occupations must all be rational, moral, emotional, voluntary, and active.

There must be the exercise of all faculties, the gratification of all tastes, the development of all talent capacities, the realization of all ideals.

The reason, the intellectual curiosity, the imagination, the aesthetic instincts, the holy affections, the social affinities, the inexhaustible resources of strength and power native to the human soul, must all find in heaven exercise and satisfaction.

Experiencing new and exciting things all of the time

                             We will spend eternity experiencing God

                             We will spend eternity learning about God

 

                   Experiencing the fact that you are always safely home

                             Illustration:  Going away from home--no place like home

                             Application:  Things will always be as they should be

                                      No more wishing you were someone else

                  

Perfect Surprise and Satisfaction—like figuring out how that Christmas toy is actually supposed to work      *AHA!

And AHHHH!*

Closing—Are we just imagining these things?

Ephesians 3:20—immeasurably more than what we imagine

 

          The Holy Spirit has opened the door for us to imagine and draw conclusions

 

God has a great place prepared for those who know, love and trust him.

Where have you put your faith, love and trust?