Heavenly Hope of Faith
Pastor Chad A. Miller
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 35:30
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· 18 viewsBuilding on last week’s legacy laid down by Abraham and Sarah…we’ll deal with the certainty of Heaven as the final evidence of faith.
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REFLECTION PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 2:9
9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
SERMON TEXT: Hebrews 11:13-16
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
INTRO / TRANSITION
Death is certain..for the great and the small
Death is certain..for the great and the small
These all died
It’s appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment
Death is a consequence of the fall
In the faith
What a way to go
Rich man and Lazarus
Lazarus to Heaven
Rich man to torment
Exalting Jesus in Hebrews The Faith of Abraham, Sarah, and Those Who Died in Faith 11:11-19
Verse 13 takes us back as far as Abel in verse 4. Those listed in Hebrews 11—all of these Old Testament figures—died in faith. They lived trusting in God to keep his promises and died according to those promises. They saw the promises of God, but did not see them fulfilled. Abraham died before seeing the children of Israel march into the promised land. But he died in faith. It’s one thing to live in faith, but it’s an entirely different thing to be facing your own death and still trust God to fulfill his promises. This is exactly what the patriarchs listed in Hebrews 11 did. They saw God’s power and faithfulness with eyes of faith, and thus they saw what their physical eyes never saw: God’s future fulfillment of his promises. They knew God was faithful, so they never stopped believing.
This world is not the promised land
This world is not the promised land
not having received the things promised,
Hebrews 11 has several significant blows to the prosperity movement.
our faith cannot simply look for the answers and blessings in the here and now
We are
but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Hebrews–Revelation Comment
By faith Abraham and the others perceived the objects of their hope across the centuries and greeted them from a distance, as Jesus himself said: “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).
14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.
This world is not my home I’m just passing through
My treasures are laid up Somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from Heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD…AHEAD
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
WE HAVE COUNTED THE COST - WE’RE NOT LOOKING BACK
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
We desire BETTER
Exalting Jesus in Hebrews The Faith of Abraham, Sarah, and Those Who Died in Faith 11:11-19
the word better is vital to the argument of the author, and in verse 16 he uses this word again. The patriarchs looked for a better city. They looked for a better country. Following the writer’s logic, everything is infinitely better in Christ. Grounding themselves in the faithfulness of God and in the certainty of his promises, the patriarchs didn’t just long for earthly fulfillment; they longed for a heavenly reality of these promises.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
We desire HEAVEN
300 Quotations for Preachers from the Puritans “Heaven Must Be in You”
Heaven must be in you before you can be in heaven.
GEORGE SWINNOCK
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
9/11 10th Anniversary Special -
after the Renee Fleming performed Amazing Grace at the World Trade Center in the October following 9/11, she said she sensed the Lord was working through music in a special way to bring healing to the hurting
Richard Dawkins said, “it’s clear there isn’t a God...but if there is, he’s certainly indifferent and malicious toward the suffering of the innocent.”
James Lipton (atheist), recently deceased host of Inside the Actors’ Studio, would ask all of his guests... “If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?”
It makes sense that 2 militant atheists would get it wrong, but what about us? We’re getting bad information from somewhere!
There’s an old maxim that goes, “If you want to go to the Heaven the Bible speaks of, then you’ve got to go the way the Bible says to go.” I’m afraid the Heaven that most of the church people speak of is not the Heaven of the Bible at all...
we are filling it with people that the Bible says won’t be there
we are looking forward to experiences that are consumer-based and not mentioned in the Bible
we are not familiar with the glimpse of Heaven we have from Scripture
Let me pivot our remaining time this morning to address those three areas of concern and attempt a woefully insufficient glimpse into the place the Bible calls Heaven.
Let’s see what the Bible has to say about who’ll be there, what’s going on, and the real deal about Heaven.
Who will be there?
Who will be there?
Let’s eliminate the obvious:
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
But take note...
not the good,
6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
MISCONCEPTION OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN HEAVEN...
MISCONCEPTION OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN HEAVEN...
Rowlands song, "not my mother, not my father, not my sister or my brother, we have eternity to shout and sing...not until I’ve seen the Savior - I don’t want to see another until I’ve told Him what He means to me”
Heaven is not just a state of being...it's a place! (Jesus ascending Acts 11:1)
Heaven is not a "better place" IT'S A CITY WHOSE BUILDER AND MAKER IS GOD!
9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
Heaven is not mansion-living, Porsche-driving.
Heaven is not the place where dreams come true…not Disneyland in the sky!
Heaven is not the place where we'll celebrate how we've overcome!
Heaven is not sitting by our fires reflecting on how we're free of pain, worry, doubt, trouble, backbiting, sorrow, and sickness!
So…what’s up?
So…what’s up?
What does the Architect tell us about Heaven's Design & Activities?
The sights of Heaven - Revelation 4-5
The Throne of God is central (4:2)
Unapproachable Light (4:5)
The elders
The Four Living Creatures / God's Cheerleaders
No need for light (Rev 21)
The sounds of Heaven - Revelation 4-5
The Throne makes noise (thunder 4:5)
The creatures make issue a call to worship (4:8)
The elders cry out (4:9-11)
The songs/cries of Heaven:
They don't mention physical healing, provision, safety, emotional healing, material provision, our daily bread, deliverance from personal enemies.
There's no mention of being overcomers or more than conquerors or walking in dominion,
They're not about us; They're all about Him
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,
12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
17 saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
18 The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”
3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
The substance of the New Heaven and the New Earth:
The Throne is occupied
The Lamb is glorified
The Elders are prostrate
The Crowd is cheering
The King is announced:
3 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.
4 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.”
The King speaks:
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
The saints are preoccupied:
3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Heaven is a real place...it’s a reality too great and wonderful for our minds to conceive.
Acts 1:11 Jesus ascending
Acts ... Stephen
John 14:7
John struggled to articulate and record all he saw. He was limited in what he was able to convey. Even with that, we struggle.
We will rule and reign with Christ…what does that mean? The Holy City will come down out of Heaven and abide on Earth…what exactly happens on the glorified Earth?
9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
I obviously skipped past many details that you need to revisit for yourselves, I’ve poorly skimmed a rock across the surface of the areas I did touch...
BUT, this is the Heaven the Bible speaks of...
Only the redeemed - those who have confessed and repented of their sin and put their hope and trust in Jesus Christ - will be afforded an entrance.The light and momentary afflictions that consume much of our time here won’t be worth remembering once we’ve arrived in that city - OUR PRIZE IS NOT OUR STORY...IT’S TO WORSHIP THE KING FOREVER!!!!!The Glory of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is the business and the leisure of Heaven!
Call...
Are you going?Does it matter what’s really going on, as long as I’m going? YES...it affects the way you live your life here! Remember 2 Corinthians 5:15 “And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” Is your primary business knowing Him and making Him known? or are you just trying to make it through the day? You need an “ACTUALLY” awakening in your life and it starts with repentance of your selfish consumer-driven Christianity.The Spirit and Bride are calling both groups this morning:
Rev 22:17 The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
(20b,21) "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.