Benefits of Heaven, 9 October 2016
09 10 16 Filed in: Sermons | What Happens to You When You Die?
The Benefits of Heaven
What Happens to You When You Die?
Revelation 22:1-5
Series Overview
Heaven is for real and the Bible says more—and less—about it than we might recognize.
Big Idea
Heaven is for real…and you won’t want to miss a thing!
Introduction
In this series we’ve been looking at the end of Revelation, asking the question “What Happens to You When You Die?” This is a timeless question that seems to be particularly popular at the moment. Our culture is fascinated with life after death. Books like “90 Minutes in Heaven” and “Heaven Is For Real” have been best-sellers describing near-death experiences. Movies and even TV shows are frequently exploring the subject. And the world of comedy is full of references to heaven and hell. For example…
Heaven Humor
Two Christians have lived very good, and also very healthy lives. They die, and go to heaven.
As they are walking along, marveling at the paradise around them, one turns to the other and says "Wow. I never knew heaven was going to be as good as this!"
"Yeah", says the other. "And just think, if we hadn't eaten all that oat bran we could have got here ten years sooner."
For the past two weeks we’ve been talking about heaven. To review, we began talking about how followers of Christ will one day get new bodies. The resurrection of Jesus may be the greatest window into the future. He had a physical body, but his post-resurrection physical body was new and improved—glorious—as ours will be.
We said first and foremost Heaven is the place where God dwells. It is presently not here on earth, but one day it will move to the new earth. There seems to be an intermediate heaven where Jesus is—seated next to the Father—and a relocation of that heaven to a new earth sometime in the future.
Who wants to go to heaven? It seems everyone wants to go to heaven…but nobody wants to die.
Last week I shared this quote from author John Piper:
“The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—is this: If you could have Heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with Heaven, if Christ was not there?” – John Piper, “God Is the Gospel”
I want to look at some of the biblical descriptions of heaven. It won’t be a bunch of people with wings playing harps on a cloud! It won’t be boring, that’s for sure! It will be the most incredible place, most of all because heaven is where Jesus lives.
Do you love Jesus? If you do, you’ll love heaven since you’ll be with Jesus for eternity there.
If you don’t love Jesus, you won’t have to spend eternity with him. So much of this life is a preview of the next. Our lives now certainly shape the next life. But I’m getting ahead of myself!
Jesus said to his friends
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that 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. (John 14:1-3)
The ancient Greek word for “rooms’ is “monai” which is not a final resting place but a temporary stop on a journey that will lead you somewhere else. Last week we said the present heaven is like an airport layover, a place to stay for a while but not the ultimate destination.
The resurrected body of Jesus was physical, yet new and improved as ours will be someday.
The new earth will be a new and improved version of our present home.
The new Jerusalem will be a new and improved version of the city in Israel today.
Jesus continued,
You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:4
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” John 14:5
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
None of us deserves heaven. None! God is perfect and holy. Only because of Jesus can we be forgiven and reconciled with our heavenly Father. He is the way. He’s the only one who loved you enough to die for you. If you get to heaven by being good, he was stupid for letting Roman soldiers nail him to a tree!
This past week I asked a friend, “If you died tonight and stood before God and God asked you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?” My friend said, “I’d say I have accepted Jesus Christ.” He realized although he’s a great guy, he’s not good enough. Neither am I.
Most people say they deserve heaven because they’re good, their good deeds outweigh the bad. The Bible clearly states all of us have sinned and fall short of God’s perfect standard, the mark, the glory of God. You cannot get to heaven by being good, trying hard, going to church, giving to the United Way, or memorizing the Bible. There are only two ways—perfection and Jesus. So unless you’re perfect, you must know Jesus. You must follow Jesus. That’s why he came, died, and rose from the dead—for you!!! That’s grace, unmerited favor. You can’t buy it. You can’t earn it. It’s a gift you can receive or reject. The result of your choice is following Jesus forever in heaven or rejecting Jesus forever. We are all given the choice.
We’re going to talk about hell next week. I have heard people ask, “How can a loving God send someone to hell?” The real question is why would a loving God allow sinners to enter heaven? Jesus died for every man, woman, and child…but you must receive Christ. No gift is yours until you receive it.
Speaking of Jesus, one of his best friends wrote,
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13)
Have you received Jesus? It’s more than believing in your head. True faith requires action. It requires surrender and sacrifice. It’s not always safe or comfortable, but it’s the only way I’ve found to experience true peace, contentment, and joy. Many want Jesus to be Savior—forgiving them and giving them a ticket to heaven—but not LORD. LORD or Master or King is part of the package. He wants us to follow him daily. It can be hard to let go—and let God—but he can be trusted. Your life will be filled with satisfaction and hope, regardless of your present circumstances.
But what is heaven like? Here’s a glimpse:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5)
Incredible! Crystal-clear water, a throne, fruit trees, freedom, light, and most of all the presence of God! Scot McKnight wrote,
Our pleasurable experience of God now is an ultrasound image compared to the living, interactive reality we will experience in Heaven. Our communing with God now, even in our best moments, is but a black-and-white, static image of the ecstatic union we will experience in Heaven. I really must pause for a reminder. Heaven is God’s promise that, on the basis of Jesus’s bodily resurrection, we will be raised to a new kind of heavenly, embodied, ecstasy-seeking life. Once we make the resurrection of Jesus central to our view of Heaven, Heaven becomes a world of intense, ecstatic, embodied entirely holy pleasure and deep joy.
Near-Death Experiences
Much of the current fascination with heaven and the afterlife stems from the accounts of those who have died and have come back. These are most often called Near Death Experiences. They are obviously controversial since they are impossible to confirm. In some ways, they are like dreams.
Pastor John Burke did extensive research on about one thousand people who had near death experiences. If that sounds like a lot, one in 25 Americans (13 million people) have had a near-death experience, including at least one person here at First Alliance. The apostle Paul may have recorded one in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (look it up!). Stephen may have had one in the seventh chapter of Acts.
I’m as skeptical as the next person about these accounts, but one I found especially interesting. Don Piper is a pastor who was dead for ninety minutes following a horrific car accident. His book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, describes his experience.
As I always say, our authority is not one’s experience or dream or vision but the Bible. I don’t value NDEs for what they communicate about an event, but for what they confirm about the Bible. Piper wrote, “My most vivid memory of heaven is what I heard. I can only describe it as a holy swoosh of wings. But I’d have to magnify that thousands of times to explain the effect of the sound in heaven. It was the most beautiful and pleasant sound I’ve ever heard, and it didn’t stop. It was like a song that goes on forever. I felt awestruck, wanting only to listen…The praise was unending, but the most remarkable thing to me was that hundreds of songs were being sung at the same time—all of them worshiping God. As I approached the large, magnificent gate, I heard them from every direction and realized that each voice praised God…Hymns of praise, modern-sounding choruses, and ancient chants filled my ears and brought not only a deep peace but the greatest feeling of joy I’ve ever experienced.”
And this is just the intermediate heaven he’s describing! As a musician, I get so excited reading those words, not because of what Don Piper wrote, but because of how they mirror what is written in the book of Revelation.
New Testament scholar Scot McKnight says it this way:
“Near-death experiences are glimpses of an afterlife. I believe not only in an afterlife but in Heaven. I don’t believe in Heaven on the basis that people have been there and come back. I believe in Heaven because God promised Heaven and because Jesus was raised from the dead.”
There’s an incredible scene in chapter seven where Jesus’ friend John records…
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 before 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.” (Revelation 7:9-10)
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:11-12)
Conclusion
Heaven is going to sound amazing.
Heaven is going to look amazing.
Heaven is going to feel amazing.
Heaven is where God is. Do you want to go? You can!
A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates. St. Peter says, "Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in."
"Okay," the man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart."
"That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points!"
"Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service."
"Terrific!" says St. Peter, "that's certainly worth a point."
"One point? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans."
"Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says.
"TWO POINTS!!" the man cries, "At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!"
"Come on in!"
We can’t earn our way to heaven, but we can get their because of Jesus, because of his grace, unmerited favor. It’s the best deal ever! Follow Jesus today, and follow him forever in heaven.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Credits
Some ideas from The Heaven Promise by Scot McKnight and Heaven by Randy Alcorn.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
What Happens to You When You Die?
Revelation 22:1-5
Series Overview
Heaven is for real and the Bible says more—and less—about it than we might recognize.
Big Idea
Heaven is for real…and you won’t want to miss a thing!
Introduction
In this series we’ve been looking at the end of Revelation, asking the question “What Happens to You When You Die?” This is a timeless question that seems to be particularly popular at the moment. Our culture is fascinated with life after death. Books like “90 Minutes in Heaven” and “Heaven Is For Real” have been best-sellers describing near-death experiences. Movies and even TV shows are frequently exploring the subject. And the world of comedy is full of references to heaven and hell. For example…
Heaven Humor
Two Christians have lived very good, and also very healthy lives. They die, and go to heaven.
As they are walking along, marveling at the paradise around them, one turns to the other and says "Wow. I never knew heaven was going to be as good as this!"
"Yeah", says the other. "And just think, if we hadn't eaten all that oat bran we could have got here ten years sooner."
For the past two weeks we’ve been talking about heaven. To review, we began talking about how followers of Christ will one day get new bodies. The resurrection of Jesus may be the greatest window into the future. He had a physical body, but his post-resurrection physical body was new and improved—glorious—as ours will be.
We said first and foremost Heaven is the place where God dwells. It is presently not here on earth, but one day it will move to the new earth. There seems to be an intermediate heaven where Jesus is—seated next to the Father—and a relocation of that heaven to a new earth sometime in the future.
Who wants to go to heaven? It seems everyone wants to go to heaven…but nobody wants to die.
Last week I shared this quote from author John Piper:
“The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—is this: If you could have Heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with Heaven, if Christ was not there?” – John Piper, “God Is the Gospel”
I want to look at some of the biblical descriptions of heaven. It won’t be a bunch of people with wings playing harps on a cloud! It won’t be boring, that’s for sure! It will be the most incredible place, most of all because heaven is where Jesus lives.
Do you love Jesus? If you do, you’ll love heaven since you’ll be with Jesus for eternity there.
If you don’t love Jesus, you won’t have to spend eternity with him. So much of this life is a preview of the next. Our lives now certainly shape the next life. But I’m getting ahead of myself!
Jesus said to his friends
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that 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. (John 14:1-3)
The ancient Greek word for “rooms’ is “monai” which is not a final resting place but a temporary stop on a journey that will lead you somewhere else. Last week we said the present heaven is like an airport layover, a place to stay for a while but not the ultimate destination.
The resurrected body of Jesus was physical, yet new and improved as ours will be someday.
The new earth will be a new and improved version of our present home.
The new Jerusalem will be a new and improved version of the city in Israel today.
Jesus continued,
You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:4
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” John 14:5
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
None of us deserves heaven. None! God is perfect and holy. Only because of Jesus can we be forgiven and reconciled with our heavenly Father. He is the way. He’s the only one who loved you enough to die for you. If you get to heaven by being good, he was stupid for letting Roman soldiers nail him to a tree!
This past week I asked a friend, “If you died tonight and stood before God and God asked you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?” My friend said, “I’d say I have accepted Jesus Christ.” He realized although he’s a great guy, he’s not good enough. Neither am I.
Most people say they deserve heaven because they’re good, their good deeds outweigh the bad. The Bible clearly states all of us have sinned and fall short of God’s perfect standard, the mark, the glory of God. You cannot get to heaven by being good, trying hard, going to church, giving to the United Way, or memorizing the Bible. There are only two ways—perfection and Jesus. So unless you’re perfect, you must know Jesus. You must follow Jesus. That’s why he came, died, and rose from the dead—for you!!! That’s grace, unmerited favor. You can’t buy it. You can’t earn it. It’s a gift you can receive or reject. The result of your choice is following Jesus forever in heaven or rejecting Jesus forever. We are all given the choice.
We’re going to talk about hell next week. I have heard people ask, “How can a loving God send someone to hell?” The real question is why would a loving God allow sinners to enter heaven? Jesus died for every man, woman, and child…but you must receive Christ. No gift is yours until you receive it.
Speaking of Jesus, one of his best friends wrote,
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13)
Have you received Jesus? It’s more than believing in your head. True faith requires action. It requires surrender and sacrifice. It’s not always safe or comfortable, but it’s the only way I’ve found to experience true peace, contentment, and joy. Many want Jesus to be Savior—forgiving them and giving them a ticket to heaven—but not LORD. LORD or Master or King is part of the package. He wants us to follow him daily. It can be hard to let go—and let God—but he can be trusted. Your life will be filled with satisfaction and hope, regardless of your present circumstances.
But what is heaven like? Here’s a glimpse:
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5)
Incredible! Crystal-clear water, a throne, fruit trees, freedom, light, and most of all the presence of God! Scot McKnight wrote,
Our pleasurable experience of God now is an ultrasound image compared to the living, interactive reality we will experience in Heaven. Our communing with God now, even in our best moments, is but a black-and-white, static image of the ecstatic union we will experience in Heaven. I really must pause for a reminder. Heaven is God’s promise that, on the basis of Jesus’s bodily resurrection, we will be raised to a new kind of heavenly, embodied, ecstasy-seeking life. Once we make the resurrection of Jesus central to our view of Heaven, Heaven becomes a world of intense, ecstatic, embodied entirely holy pleasure and deep joy.
Near-Death Experiences
Much of the current fascination with heaven and the afterlife stems from the accounts of those who have died and have come back. These are most often called Near Death Experiences. They are obviously controversial since they are impossible to confirm. In some ways, they are like dreams.
Pastor John Burke did extensive research on about one thousand people who had near death experiences. If that sounds like a lot, one in 25 Americans (13 million people) have had a near-death experience, including at least one person here at First Alliance. The apostle Paul may have recorded one in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (look it up!). Stephen may have had one in the seventh chapter of Acts.
I’m as skeptical as the next person about these accounts, but one I found especially interesting. Don Piper is a pastor who was dead for ninety minutes following a horrific car accident. His book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, describes his experience.
As I always say, our authority is not one’s experience or dream or vision but the Bible. I don’t value NDEs for what they communicate about an event, but for what they confirm about the Bible. Piper wrote, “My most vivid memory of heaven is what I heard. I can only describe it as a holy swoosh of wings. But I’d have to magnify that thousands of times to explain the effect of the sound in heaven. It was the most beautiful and pleasant sound I’ve ever heard, and it didn’t stop. It was like a song that goes on forever. I felt awestruck, wanting only to listen…The praise was unending, but the most remarkable thing to me was that hundreds of songs were being sung at the same time—all of them worshiping God. As I approached the large, magnificent gate, I heard them from every direction and realized that each voice praised God…Hymns of praise, modern-sounding choruses, and ancient chants filled my ears and brought not only a deep peace but the greatest feeling of joy I’ve ever experienced.”
And this is just the intermediate heaven he’s describing! As a musician, I get so excited reading those words, not because of what Don Piper wrote, but because of how they mirror what is written in the book of Revelation.
New Testament scholar Scot McKnight says it this way:
“Near-death experiences are glimpses of an afterlife. I believe not only in an afterlife but in Heaven. I don’t believe in Heaven on the basis that people have been there and come back. I believe in Heaven because God promised Heaven and because Jesus was raised from the dead.”
There’s an incredible scene in chapter seven where Jesus’ friend John records…
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 before 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.” (Revelation 7:9-10)
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:11-12)
Conclusion
Heaven is going to sound amazing.
Heaven is going to look amazing.
Heaven is going to feel amazing.
Heaven is where God is. Do you want to go? You can!
A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates. St. Peter says, "Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in."
"Okay," the man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart."
"That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points!"
"Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service."
"Terrific!" says St. Peter, "that's certainly worth a point."
"One point? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans."
"Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says.
"TWO POINTS!!" the man cries, "At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!"
"Come on in!"
We can’t earn our way to heaven, but we can get their because of Jesus, because of his grace, unmerited favor. It’s the best deal ever! Follow Jesus today, and follow him forever in heaven.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Credits
Some ideas from The Heaven Promise by Scot McKnight and Heaven by Randy Alcorn.