Realizing Our Destiny Pt.2 1-12-2020

HEAVEN - SEEING THE UNSEEN REALIZING OUR DESTINY PT.2 Sunday January 12, 2020 Scripture Reference: John 14:1-3 Intro. A. Welcome to this second week of our study on Heaven. Last week we began talking about how we need to realize the destiny God has prepared for us in this place called Heaven. Last week I spent a lot of time talking about the fact that there are a lot of misconceptions about Heaven and I said I was not an expert but I do believe that I am going to help us all gain a much more accurate picture of what Heaven will really be like based on the scriptures and not on books, movies or TV shows. "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:1-3 (NLT) 1. Last week I offered you a statement that I sincerely believe will help every one of us begin to gain a true picture of what Heaven will be like. Here is what I said in case you weren't here or forgot. What I want you to do is imagine what this world would be like if it were not for the curse of sin. What would your relationships with people be like? What would weather and other so called "acts of God" be like without the curse on this world? What about the diseases and physical afflictions we suffer from now, what would happen to those things is the curse were lifted? The further we move along in this study the more this statement will make sense to you. B. Today we are going to explore two very important questions that must be addressed or the rest of this study will not really matter. I am going to give you those questions right now and then we will explore them. #1. Is Heaven your default destination or is Hell? #2 Can you know for certain that you are going to Heaven? OK let's talk about these two things. I. IS HEAVEN YOUR DEFAULT DESTINATION OR IS HELL? Needless to say this is a subject that makes an awful lot of people very uncomfortable, but I cannot have integrity and truthfulness in my preaching if I do not address this subject. [] Tell me when was the last time you attended a funeral service where the preacher said something like this. "Joe was a wonderful guy. He helped a lot of people, he tried to treat everyone fairly. He even attended church almost once a month and he definitely believed in God. He even donated $10,000.00 to help build a new wing to the churches education building. Joe loved his wife and was faithful to her always. He raised two wonderful children who are now very successful in life. Yes Joe was a terrific person and we will all miss him, but I have to sadly tell you today that based on everything we know about Joe he never asked Jesus to forgive his sins and come into his heart and while God will be the final judge, based on all we know and what the Bible says Joe is probably not in Heaven today." The fact is if any preacher dared to say such a thing at a funeral there would end up being a second funeral that day and yet is everyone going to Heaven? I have performed a number of funeral services of people who made no profession of faith and whom I had no reason to believe they were now in Heaven. One I remember in particular where the family told me what a wonderful Christian man he was. When I inquired as to how he died they told me he died in prison of a drug overdose. Now I totally understand that God (thankfully) is the final judge not Pastor Sheldon, but Jesus also told us that we would be known by our fruit, in other words our actions will reveal who we really are. The old rock band AC/DC once sang about a highway to Hell, but the truth of the matter is that a survey was done that showed only 1-120 believed they were going to hell. Here is what Jesus said, "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT) Here is what John said in the Revelation "I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books." Revelation 20:12 (NLT) What is keeping people out of Heaven is a universal problem called SIN. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that we have ALL sinned and fallen short of what God desired and designed for us. God said through the prophet Isaiah "It's your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore." Isaiah 59:2 (NLT) I have said on several occasions that I do not believe in any way that people are going to be surprised to find themselves in Heaven. Now you and I might be surprised at who we see there, but that person will not be surprised. Now here is a hard truth. Because we are all sinners the default destination of every human being is Hell. Consider those words very carefully because they can either be very comforting or they can be terrifying. I remember talking to one of Ceaser Cruz's friends before he passed away. This was someone Ceaser had witnessed to many times, but this guy never accepted Christ. He told me he wasn't sure about the whole Heaven and Hell thing and that in his words he was going to "Wait and see". Friends this is no time to wait and by the time you "see" it will be too late! No one should be crossing their fingers and just hoping for the best because that practice will only insure you a place in Hell not Heaven. Yes I know I am speaking very frankly but this is a subject that demands that the kid gloves come off. We are talking about our eternal destinies here. I cannot afford to try and make you feel good or comfortable if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. Here is my command from God's word. "Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. 8If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 9But if you warn them to repent and they don't repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself." Ezekiel 33:7-9 (NLT) And let me add, this is much more to me than trying to save my own hide, I do not want to see anyone perish in Hell. Trans. Now here is an astoundingly obvious statement. A. Hell Is An Awful Alternative. 1. When Jesus Christ returns in the rapture there will be a resurrection. Some will be resurrected to eternal life in Heaven but others will be resurrected to enteral life in Hell. The Bible says, "Don't be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God's Son, 29and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment." John 5:28-29 (NLT) Jesus himself said "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons." Matthew 25:41 (NLT) 2. I mentioned before the song by AC/DC well what they sang about will not be the truth. They sang about Hell being an eternal party, but it will be anything but. Hell will be a place of misery and despair and the shocking reality is that it is also eternal. Hell will not be a temporary existence to sort of purge and purify those who didn't follow Christ in this life. It is the final destination. 3. I wish I could spend a few weeks talking about this not because I find the topic enjoyable but because it is so important for us to fully understand so that it can burn within us a greater passion to do what we can to help people escape what will happen if they do not turn to Jesus. Let me address the statement we probably have all heard and that statement is this "I can't believe in a God who would punish people by sending them into eternal punishment." What if we turned that question around just a little? What if we asked "Could you believe?" Could you believe in a God that would punish people this way?" You see the problem for many is that because they don't want to believe this so they won't believe this. Just because I don't want to believe something doesn't mean it is not true or that whatever it is won't happen. 4. Let's try to personalize this a little. Let's say (as I am sure we all would) that we want everyone to go to Heaven. I sure don't want anyone I know to spend eternity in Hell. I want what I am sure you want and that is for these people to be able to stand before God in Judgement and say "Sheldon was right. I told him he was a fool for believing in you and for dedicating his life to following Jesus but I was wrong. I would like to have a second chance. I see now that I am a sinner and I want to ask Jesus to forgive me." That is what I would like to have happen, but the problem is I have no biblical basis to offer someone that hope. A Universalist is someone who believes that in the end everyone will go to Heaven no matter who they are what they have done or what they believed, but listen to the words of one of these people. "Clearly my interpretation is undermined by the text (meaning the Bible)...I am not so much exegeting the text as trying to draw out the logic of New Testament theology as I understand it and its implications for those texts. In the process I may be offering ways of reading the texts that go beyond what their authors had in mind." Gregory MacDonald. What good is the Bible if we are going to choose to believe what we want to believe even if it contradicts the truth? Now let me ask you this? B. Is It Unloving For Us To Talk About Hell? 1. The answer I hope is obvious from what I have already been saying. The reality of Hell should break our hearts. [] I remember in my first church. We rented the downstairs space to a Christian preschool. My office was in the upstairs portion. I remember one morning when I was in the office early having prayer. The kids were being brought in by their parents and I remember that day hearing some of those children screaming and crying out to their parents not to leave them. I remember being overcome with emotion as I thought about people lost in Hell. It was if I was hearing the voices of people crying out to be released. This may sound harsh, but I say this for myself as well as you. I pray God will help us hear those voices loud and clear. You see if I truly become Heavenly minded then I will also be impassioned to reach those who are lost and headed down that highway to Hell. 2. Certainly Hell is not a pleasant subject to address and now we even have pastors who are denying its existence. Here is what a former pastor Rob Bell of a mega church said "At the heart of this perspective is the belief that, given enough time, everybody will turn to God and find themselves in the joy and peace of God's presence. The love of God will melt every hard heart, and even the most "depraved sinners" will eventually give up their resistance and turn to God." My question to Mr. Bell is "Where is your proof that everyone that has died did in fact have their hard hearts melt and turn to God?" Yes I believe that everyone can, but I also believe according to the teaching of Jesus that not everyone WILL. Here is what another Christian College professor said, "I consider the concept of hell as endless torment in body and mind an outrageous doctrine. . . How can Christians possibly project a deity of such cruelty and vindictiveness whose ways include inflicting everlasting torture upon his creatures, however sinful they may have been? Surely a God who would do such a thing is more nearly like Satan than like God." Now here is a man who is not even being intellectually honest. Did you notice that at the end of his statement he professed his belief in Satan? He doesn't believe in Hell but He believes in the one who inhabits it. 3. Theologian G.T. Shedd said this "The doctrine of Christ's vicarious atonement logically stands or falls with that of eternal punishment." You see once again if this place called Hell does not exist and everyone is going to Heaven then Christ's crucifixion was a monumental waste and it, rather than a place called Hell shows the cruel and vindictive nature of God. What is really amazing is that people and even pastors can deny the reality of Hell when Jesus himself spoke so much of the subject. Was Jesus a liar, was Jesus just trying to scare people or was he tell the truth? 4. Consider this, imagine someone asked you for directions to Big Bear. Now you know there are two ways up to big bear one of them is a safe route, but the other route ends at a 300 cliff just around a sharp corner. Would you not warn them not to take the route leading off the cliff, even if you hated them? I played this clip a long time ago but it is very appropriate to play again here. Please watch this video (play video of Penn Jellete). 5. Consider this before I move on to my last point. For a Christian for a true follower of Christ this life will be the closest thing to Hell we will know, but for those who have chosen to reject Christ; this life will be the closest thing to Heaven they will ever know. Now: C. Can You Know You Are Going To Heaven? 1. Some will say that it is the height of arrogance to say "Yes I know I am going to Heaven" but if you believe the Bible then you can know this and say this with absolute confidence. 2. [] I want to read a story to you. It is too much to put up on the screen but it makes my point. Ruthanna Metzgar, a professional singer, tells a story that illustrates the importance of having our names written in the book. Several years ago, she was asked to sing at the wedding of a very wealthy man. According to the invitation, the reception would be held on the top two floors of Seattle's Columbia Tower, the Northwest's tallest skyscraper. She and her husband, Roy, were excited about attending. At the reception, waiters in tuxedos offered luscious hors d'oeuvres and exotic beverages. The bride and groom approached a beautiful glass and brass staircase that led to the top floor. Someone ceremoniously cut a satin ribbon draped across the bottom of the stairs. They announced the wedding feast was about to begin. Bride and groom ascended the stairs, followed by their guests. At the top of the stairs, a maitre d' with a bound book greeted the guests outside the doors. "May I have your name please?" "I am Ruthanna Metzgar and this is my husband, Roy." He searched the M's. "I'm not finding it. Would you spell it please?" Ruthanna spelled her name slowly. After searching the book, the maitre d' looked up and said, "I'm sorry, but your name isn't here." "There must be some mistake," Ruthanna replied. "I'm the singer. I sang for this wedding!" The gentleman answered, "It doesn't matter who you are or what you did. Without your name in the book you cannot attend the banquet." He motioned to a waiter and said, "Show these people to the service elevator, please." The Metzgars followed the waiter past beautifully decorated tables laden with shrimp, whole smoked salmon, and magnificent carved ice sculptures. Adjacent to the banquet area, an orchestra was preparing to perform, the musicians all dressed in dazzling white tuxedos. The waiter led Ruthanna and Roy to the service elevator, ushered them in, and pushed G for the parking garage. After locating their car and driving several miles in silence, Roy reached over and put his hand on Ruthanna's arm. "Sweetheart, what happened?" "When the invitation arrived, I was busy," Ruthanna replied. "I never bothered to RSVP. Besides, I was the singer. Surely I could go to the reception without returning the RSVP!" Ruthanna started to weep-not only because she had missed the most lavish banquet she'd ever been invited to, but also because she suddenly had a small taste of what it will be like someday for people as they stand before Christ and find their names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Conclusion: A. There is only one way that I can with any kind of integrity conclude this message and that is by asking you, "Do you know for certain that Heaven is your eternal destination? I in no way want to instill doubt or uncertainly in your mind, but in fact I want to do the exact opposite. I want you to be able to walk out of this service today with the absolute assurance and joy in knowing that your name is in that Book of Life. 1