10 Great Truths about Heaven

"Ten Great Truths about Heaven" May 23, 2021 Pastor Ted Weis Little River Congregational Church A minister dies and is waiting in line at the Pearly Gates. Ahead of him is a guy dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, a leather jacket, and blue jeans. Saint Peter says to this guy, "Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you into the Kingdom of Heaven?" The guy replied, "I'm Joe Cohen, taxi driver, New York City." Saint Peter consulted his list. He smiled and said to the taxi driver, "I see your name on the list. Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven." The taxi driver goes into heaven with his robe and staff. Now, it's the minister's turn. He pulled his shoulders up and boomed out, "I am Rev. Joseph snow, pastor of St. Mary's Church for the last 43 years." Saint Peter consulted his list. He said to the minister, "I see your name on the list. Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven." "Just a minute!" said the minister. "That taxi driver got a silken robe and golden staff, while I got this cheap robe and staff. How can this be?" Saint Peter replied, "Up here, we work by results. While you preached, people slept. While he drove, people prayed!" Probably all of us at some or another have heard a joke about heaven. Nearly everyone says that they want to go to heaven, but how much do you really know about heaven? As we draw close to Memorial Weekend, when we remember those military men and women who made the highest sacrifice to us and our country, and as we remember our loved ones who have died, I want you to discover ten great truths that the Bible tells us about heaven. Here's the first. Heaven is the eternal dwelling place of Almighty God. Isaiah 66:1 proclaims: "This is what the LORD says: 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.'" In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus instructs to say, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..." (Matthew 6:9). Finally, in Isaiah's vision of heaven, we read, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke" (Isaiah 6:1-4). The only reason that heaven is wonderful is because God is there. This provides the reason for our second truth: Heaven is filled with sounds of praise and celebration. Years ago, the band Talking Heads had a hit album. One of the songs was called, "Heaven." The chorus goes like this: "Heaven is a place where nothing, nothing ever happens." Nothing could be farther from the truth! Listen to what the angelic beings declare in Revelation 4:10-"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." When you look at the stars on a clear night, you'll notice that all the stars revolve around the heavens and circle around the north star Polaris. The north star never moves. That's what heaven is like. All praise and honor and glory centers upon our glorious God. Why is heaven such a happy place? Our third truth explains why. Heaven is a place where sin's destructive force is absent. Chip Engram makes the observation that, "We think earth is a playground, when actually it's a battlefield." Sin makes a mess of everything here on us. The world needs healing. We instinctively know this truth. At the end of time, when heaven consumes the cosmos, there will be no more hospitals, no more funeral homes, no more orphanages, no more government social services for children, no more wars, no more poverty, and no more broken families. Truth, justice and righteousness will shine like the dawn. Revelation 21:3-4 gives us this preview and promise. John says, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Yes, this world is difficult now. But remember the words of Thomas Moore: "Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal." Next, let's think about what and who is in heaven. I'm convinced: Heaven is a place populated by animals. Isaiah 65:25 tells us this: "'The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,' says the LORD." Do you have a beloved pet that has died? Our first family dog was "Popcorn." He was a great dog. Our family sure misses him. Animals are a part of God's creation. In Genesis 1, God called them "good." It's more than reasonable to think that animals will be part of the new heavens and earth. More importantly, heaven is populated by people of all races and nations. Now a days, our news headlines are filled with charges of racism. Racism is giving discriminatory preference to one person over another, based purely on their skin color-the melatonin in their skin. God hates racism! Listen to Revelation 7:9-10. John tells us, "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'" So how does someone get into heaven? Many people assume that because you die, you go to heaven. But the Scriptures tell us that heaven is populated only by those who trust Jesus Christ as Savior. When citizens travel overseas, they need a passport to enter into another country. The passport must be stamped, giving the person access to enter the country. No passport, no entrance. In order to enter heaven, a person must have a passport stamped with the blood of Christ. Dear friends, the Bible is clear on this point. In John 14:6, Jesus tells us, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." In John 11:25-27, Jesus declares, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." Revelation 21:8 warns, "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." And in Revelation 20:15, "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Once a believer arrives in heaven, something incredible happens to the individual. Heaven is a place where we are transformed. Some believe in Purgatory, a place in-between heaven and hell, where people go to be reformed and worthy of heaven. But the Bible says nothing about Purgatory. In fact, the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "To be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord." When the believer dies, their spirit immediately goes to the Lord. Our body goes to the earth. But at the end of time, God promises to reunite the spirit and the body. In 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, the Apostle Paul reveals: 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of time, God will transform us. We will be made brand new. As Jesus was raised from the dead, so too shall we. Next, when we get to heaven, God will evaluate the way we lived on earth. Heaven is a place of reward. All of us get into heaven on the same basis-the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We never get to heaven because of our works. It is only because of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). But that doesn't necessarily mean we will be evaluated equally. Listen to the following verses. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:21, Jesus declares to the faithful one, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" In James 1:12, we're told, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." And in Revelation 2:10, Jesus told the church at Smyrna, "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." Do these truths about heaven comfort you? Do these truths increase your desire to be in heaven? If so, you'll appreciate this next truth: Heaven can be your confident hope-you don't have to be uncertain. You know what? I've talked to old people who spent their entire life in church. They came every Sunday. They served as Sunday School teachers. They made food for every occasion. They put money in the offering plate. And I've asked them, "When you die, will you go to heaven?" Do you know how they answered? They said, "I hope so." I hope so? Ninety plus years of good parenting, community service, paying taxes, and driving under the speed limit and all they can say is that they hope they'll go to heaven? If that's their best answer, what hope is there for you and me? Here's my hope. It's the only one I got. And it's this: good people don't go heaven. Forgiven people do. Forgiven people trust not in themselves. They trust in Jesus. Listen to what Jesus says about those who trust in him. In John 10:28-30, Jesus says, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." In John 14:1-3, Jesus says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." So, how can you enter into this glorious hope? If someone like Jesus can predict their own death and resurrection, and then do it, he's worth listening to. In John 5:24, Jesus declares, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." Notice what Jesus emphasizes. Whoever believes-it is they who have eternal life. (John 5:24). Theodoret of Cyrrhus (393-466) makes a wonderful statement in his Epistle to the Ephesians: "It is not because of the excellence of our lives that we have been called by God but because of the love of our Savior." I appreciate what Junior Stimatze once told me: "Like everyone else, I don't want to die, and I'll fight for life until my last breath, but I'm not afraid to die and I know where I'm going." That's a great assurance all of us can have-when we know and rely upon the promises of Jesus. We've said a lot about heaven. There's much more that still could be told, but let's wrap it up with this final observation: Heaven is a mystery. We're told a lot about heaven, but there's so much we don't know. We know it's a place, not a state of mind, but we don't know exactly where it's located now. But one day, it'll come and fill the whole earth (Revelation 21-22). We don't know what age people appear. We don't know exactly what our heavenly bodies will be like. The great English preacher of the 19th century, Charles Spurgeon, once said: "I suspect that every saved soul in heaven is a great wonder, and that heaven is a vast museum of wonders of grace and mercy, a palace of miracles, in which everything will surprise everyone who gets there." Indeed, as the Apostle Paul tells us: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." Amen. 4