TAE: WHY GOD PUT THE DESIRE FOR HEAVEN IN YOUR HEART
SMWS- 9/6/09 Text:
SRBC #
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
1) During my vacation I finally took some time to think about this sermon series I’ve been preaching on heaven and eternity
A) You know what I discovered?
B) My life’s been changed
1) I still treasure the life God’s given me now
2) But for some reason I can’t stop daydreaming about heaven
2) For instance, I’ve been reading a book- Unquenchable- about the freshwater crisis we have here in the United States
A) In one chapter, it talks about NYC
B) NY has one of the largest rivers in the country flowing past the heart of its downtown
1) But the Hudson River is so polluted
2) The city has to import its water from other places- it can’t use what’s right there
4) When I read that I put the book down and started thinking about heaven. After all someday…
A) God is going to resurrect the Earth and cleanse and restore every drop of freshwater on the planet
B) Then the Hudson River will be so pure you’ll be able to:
1) Walk up to the edge-dip a cup in the water
2) And drink to your heart’s content- incredible!
5) Watching the debate about health care also got me thinking about heaven
A) As important as having good healthcare is now
1) In heaven we won’t need doctors or nurses or hospitals
2) Let alone health insurance
B) Because we’ll have the ultimate health insurance plan
1) Resurrection bodies that have been designed by God to last for eternity!
2) Hallelujah! No more of this stuff!
6) Thursday night Vivi and I had some granddaughter Paw-Paw time. We spent about three hours watching TV
A) She loves watching MMC- and I love her
B) So we’ll sit and watch MCC as long as she wants
1) She’ll sit in my lap or by my side
2) And I love it- absolutely love it!
7) Because it gives me a preview of heaven
A) Knowing how much joy and happiness I feel with my granddaughter at my side
B) I can only imagine what it’s going to be like to
1) Dwell the presence of my Heavenly Father 2) The One who is the source of perfect joy and happiness
8) You know Pam watches HGTV
A) It gives her these ideas she brings to our home
1) Some of them work (like the chair rail she and I installed in our living room)
2) And some of them don’t (painting our living room couch comes to mind)
B) But I know Pam’s always trying to find ways to make our home a nicer place to live- and I appreciate that
9) It also makes me think what Jesus is doing in heaven
A) He told His disciples He was going to prepare a place for us
B) To put it in HGTV terms: The ultimate designer has got an unlimited budget and He’s taking all the time He needs to get it just right- for the ultimate reveal
‘BUT YOU SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT GOD!’
1) Now I’ll be honest with you: Some people think all this emphasis on heaven dishonors God
A) They’ll say: Steve- your focus should be on God. Not on a place- even if the place is heaven
B) Which- on the surface at least-
1) Sounds about right
2) Sounds- spiritual- don’t you think?
2) Well- let’s see what the Bible says about this. Psalm 27:4
4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
3) I want you to notice what’s going on here:
A) David- who’s writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit- sees no contradiction between:
1) Seeking God the Father
2) And seeking the place were God dwells. Which is where? Heaven!
B) David sees the big picture. He knows that…
1) Desiring God means you desire heaven- because God’s presence is what makes heaven- heaven
2) Desiring heaven means you desire God- because heaven is the place where God is
4) Now turn with me to Colossians 3:1-2
3:1 ……Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. (This is a direct command to think about- to dream about- and mediate on heaven)
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
5) Quick comment: By ‘earthly things’ Paul…..
A) Isn’t talking about the good and perfect gifts that God has graciously given us
B) Here earthly things would be…say…sexual immorality- things that violate the commands and principles God has given us to live by
8) OK- back to Colossians 3:1. The Greek word translated as set your hearts on is zeteo
A) Zeteo refers to a person’s philosophical search or quest in life
B) It carries the idea of a passionate, diligent, active, obsessive, on-going pursuit
9) So notice what Colossians 3:1 is saying: Passionately, diligently, actively, obsessively set your heart and mind on the dream of heaven
10) Question is: How do you do this? How do you set your heart and mind on the dream of heaven?
A) I hope this sermon series has helped
1) I can honestly say I’m more excited about heaven than I’ve ever been in my life
2) I hope you are too
B) Second- I would encourage you to spend more time in God’s infallible, inerrant Word
1) The Bible has a lot more it wants to teach you about the new heavens and the new earth of eternity
2) And if you read Scripture with a Spirit-focused mind- these things will become clear to you
C) And finally- you’ve got to use your imagination
1) Check that- you’ve got to turn control of your imagination to the Holy Spirit
2) So He can help you grasp the blessings- the pleasures- and the joys of your heavenly home
CHARTING WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
1) Anybody remember the title of the first sermon in this series? Getting Past Your Misconceptions About Heaven
A) The reason I bring this up is because that’s what we’ve been doing for the past two months
B) Letting the Bible teach us what we need to know about heaven
2) This morning- I’ve ‘borrowed’ a chart from Randy Alcorn’s excellent book- ‘Heaven’
A) What the chart does is compares the assumptions people make about heaven
B) With the things the Bible actually says about heaven
3) What I want do to for the next few minutes us discuss the assumptions AND the truths revealed in God’s Word- ‘cause if this doesn’t make you long for heaven!
The Assumptions People What The Bible Actually
Make About Heaven Says About Heaven
Non-earthly Earthly
Disembodied Resurrected
1) Several times during these sermons I’ve said I have no desire to spend eternity as:
A) Some disembodied ghost floating around in the clouds
B) Or some formless spirit one with the Universe
2) Thankfully- I don’t have to worry about any of that stuff
A) Because that’s not God’s plan
1) It never has been
2) It never will be
B) God’s plan is for resurrected human beings to spend eternity living in resurrected bodies here on the resurrected new Earth
Revelation 21:1-3
21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 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.
3) I’ve read Revelation 21 in all but one of these sermons on heaven
A) But you know what?
1) I haven’t gotten tired of reading it
2) And I hope you haven’t gotten tired of hearing it
B) This passage of Scripture represents the Good News of our Christian hope
1) Jesus is Coming Again! God is going to redeem and restore all of Creation
2) God Himself will come down to be with us and dwell with us for all eternity
3) He will be our God- and we will be His people
4) Now if you can think of something better to preach than that- please give me a call
Neither old nor new Both old and new
Strange and otherworldly Familiar, earthy
Foreign Home
1) Because heaven will be located on the new Earth- and not some remote corner of the universe
A) You’re going to feel right at home in heaven
1) You won’t need a period of adjustment
2) You’ll know that this is your home from Day One
B) The people- the places- the sounds- the sights- the tastes- the smells- everything will be comfortable and familiar
2) I recently read about a World War II vet’s experience when he came home from the war
A) He said he wanted to surprise his parents- so he didn’t tell them exactly when he’d get back
B) He writes: I slipped through the front door, fighting off the temptation to scream ‘Hey everybody! I’m home!’ Instead I just stood there looking around the living room- taking it all in: The fireplace- the old couch- my father’s favorite chair- the spot where the Christmas tree always stood. This was the place I’d been dreaming about for three years and I wanted to stand there- breathing it all in
1) Finally I began to tiptoe down the hallway to the back of the house. Before I got to the kitchen I could smell my mother’s ‘made-from-scratch’ biscuits baking in the oven
2) I looked across the room and there they were: Mama cooking fried chicken on the stove- Daddy reading the evening paper
C) That was when I knew the war was finally over for me. This was the place I loved and the people I loved. I offered a brief prayer of thanksgiving. After that all I could think to say was ‘Mama- Daddy- I’m home’ But that was all that needed to be said
3) Folks- I suspect that’s what it’s going to be like to get to heaven
A) It will be a familiar place of warmth and joy and comfort
B) Filled with people you love- and the breathtaking presence of the One who died on the Cross of Calvary so you could be there
1) All you’ll need to say is I’m home
2) But somehow it will more than enough
Leaving favorite things behind Retaining the good;
Finding the best ahead
1) You know- most of us have spent a lifetime being told we’ll have to leave worldly things behind when we go to heaven
A) We’ve heard it in sermons- we’ve discussed it in SS
B) We sing about it in hymns And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace
2) Since most of us want to be known as good Christians
A) We sort of nod our heads- and bite our lips and pretend the idea of leaving it all behind doesn’t bother us
B) Well it bothers me! And I want God to know it! Father- there’s some things here on Earth I don’t want to give up!
3) Like…..A Love Supreme
A) John Coltrane wrote and recorded that classic jazz album in the early 60’s
B) In the liner notes Coltrane dedicated ALS as an act of worship and praise to God
4) Now here’s what I want to know-
A) Why wouldn’t God let me keep A Love Supreme in the CD collection I’ll have in heaven?
B) Well- the truth is: He probably will
5) When God resurrects the new Earth- here’s how He’ll deal with the things of the world
A) First- He’s going to get rid of Satan (Lock him up and throw away the key)
B) Then He’ll remove the curse of sin
1) Ever since A & E sinned in the Garden of Eden human beings and all of Creation has been laboring under the curse of sin
2) It wears us out- it tears us down- and eventually it destroys us. It’s a cruel task master
C) And finally God will destroy the power of death once and for all
1) Death was not a part of God’s original plan for His creation- it was a punishment reserved for sin
2) But in the end God- working through the life-giving victory Jesus won at the Cross- will banish death and restore His creation to eternal life
6) In Romans Paul talks about creation groaning for its redemption
A) Well- this is the redemption he’s talking about
B) God’s powerful- dramatic- dynamic display of His glory that will result in-
1) The bodily resurrection of His children in His own image
2) And the full restoration of His creation in all its glory and wonder
7) Now keeping all this in mind- let’s talk about how God will handle the other good things of this world
A) These things would include things He has made and declared to be good
B) And things creative, artistic, talented, dedicated, hard-working human beings have made (and they don’t always have to be explicitly ‘Christian’ to qualify)
7) God’s plan is
A) To keep these things around for our pleasure, enjoyment and ‘yes’- our fun
B) While showing us new things He’s been creating that will absolutely blow our minds
1 Corinthians 2:9
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him
No time and space Time and space
1) This can be a difficult concept to grasp- because it seems like a contradiction
A) After all- the dictionary defines eternity as a state of timelessness
B) So how does time and space exist in eternity?
1) I don’t know- but the Bible says it does
2) As resurrected human beings we will live on the new earth within the confines of time and space
C) BUT- because we’re experiencing eternal life there will be no limits to time and space in heaven
2) I know I’ve always wanted to be able to play the piano
A) In heaven- I’m going to take piano lessons
1) Might take me 2 or 3 centuries to get the hang of it
2) But that’s OK- I won’t get discouraged
B) Because when it finally clicks I’ll still have an eternity to use and enjoy my new talent
Static Dynamic
Boring Fascinating
1) You know, a lot of people have this heaven/hell thing all backwards
A) They think hell is eternity’s version of a weekend in Vegas- or a Caribbean cruise
B) While heaven is like being sentenced to a series of deadly dull sermons that last 10,000 years each
2) Talk about getting it wrong!
A) Hell will be the ultimate bore-
1) Nothing ever happens there
2) Here’s why- in hell you’re eternally separated from God- the ultimate source of life and joy
B) On the other hand, heaven is going to an endlessly fascinating place a place to have new adventures and make new discoveries every day!
3) Over the years many Christians have expressed the hope they’ll be able to explore the universe in heaven
A) Their theory goes something like this:
1) A resurrection body will make it possible for a person to survive intergalactic travel
2) While eternity will you give the time it takes to travel to the outer limits of the cosmos
B) I don’t know about all this- but the Bible makes it clear the wonders and glories of heaven will be a constant source of joy and wonder and astonishment
Isaiah 60:17-22
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler.
18 No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.
21 Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.
22 The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly."
Nothing to do; floating on clouds A God to worship and serve, a to universe to rule; purposeful
work to accomplish; friends to enjoy
1) I once told Pam I was going to retire at 65
A) She just laughed at me
B) If your health holds up you’ll be doing an interim pastorate when you’re 85. You love to work.
2) She’s right you know
A) I find pleasure and joy serving the Lord
B) Which is why I get so stressed-out when my work becomes frustrating and aggravating and irritating (Does your job ever get like that? Ain’t it a drag?)
3) Happily- that won’t be a problem in heaven
A) The work you’ll do there will be constantly rewarding- enriching- challenging- fulfilling and joyful
B) You’ll never come home frustrated or stressed-out
1) Oh- you’ll get tired
2) But it’ll be a good kind of tired- the tired that comes from knowing you did your best for the Lord!
Colossians 3:23-24
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
No learning or discovery; An eternity of learning and
instant and complete knowledge discovering
1 Corinthians 13:12
12….Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1) A lot of people think 1 Cor. 13:12 means you’ll know everything the instant you get to heaven
A) Everyone having a simultaneous George Costanza moment
B) I just remember where I left my retainer in 6th grade!
2) Folks- when you get to heaven you’re not going to become like God
A) IOW: You’re not going to be omnipotent- you won’t possess all the power of the universe
B) You won’t become omnipresent- you won’t the ability to be in all places at all times
3) Here’s where a quick word study will be helpful
A) The Greek word translated as know in 1 Corinthians 13:12 is ginosko
1) It means to posses knowledge
2) To know something
B) The Greek word translated as fully known is epiginosko
1) In Greek the prefix epi means more intense or more extensive
2) So epiginosko means you’ll posses more extensive knowledge about God and His loving grace than you do now….but that’s it
4) To me this is incredibly exciting!
A) Because it means life in heaven will be an on-going journey of discovery
B) Listen to what the Bible says in Ephesians 2:6-7
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming ages (this is a reference to eternity) he might show (the Greek word means to reveal or teach) the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
5) In heaven we’ll constantly be learning new things- and it will be FUN!
A) Think about it- in heaven you could study….
1) Science with Sir Isaac Newton
2) Mathematics with Blaise Pascal
3) Literature with Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky
4) Sculpture & painting with Michelangelo
5) Music theory with G.F. Handel
B) Best of all- you’ll be able to sit at the feet of Jesus and ask Him about anything you want- for as long as you want!
6) To someone who tries to learn something new everyday this sounds like…..heaven! It’ll be great!
Loss of desire Continuous fulfillment of desire
1) Eventually most Christians come to believe that desiring almost anything is a sin
A) It’s happened to me- it may have happened to you- it happens to just about everybody
B) And it causes one of the bigger misconceptions about heaven
2) This misconception says we’ll lose all our desires in heaven. The flawed reasoning goes something like this:
A) There’s no sin in heaven
B) Desire is a sin
C) Therefore: We won’t have any desires in heaven
3) The problem is we’re confusing godly desire with the temptation to sin
A) The temptation to sin is anything that serves as an enticement to rebel against God’s plans & purposes for your life
B) On the other hand- godly desire is a longing for the things that bring satisfaction, pleasure, enjoyment and meaning to life
4) Here’s the bottom line: In heaven…..
A) Godly desires aren’t going to be lost
B) Instead, they’re going to be continuously and delightfully fulfilled by God Himself
5) The British philosopher Mick Jagger once observed:
A) You can’t always get what you want- no you can’t always get what you want-
B) But if you try some time- you just might find- that you get what you need
6) Sir Mick happens to be right
A) You can’t get much satisfaction- in this lifetime
B) But once you get to heaven you’ll not only get what you need, you almost always get what you want too!
Absence of the terrible Presence of the wonderful
1) A few years ago I was driving to the beach and ran across one of those fire and brimstone preachers on the radio
A) For about thirty minutes he pounded the pulpit and described the terrors of hell with a Stephen King-like ferocity B) Then at the very end- almost as an afterthought- he said: But if you ask Jesus to come into your heart you can go to heaven instead
2) There’s a time and a place for honest preaching about hell A) The subject will come up in this sermon series two weeks from today
B) But folks heaven…
1) Is about a lot more than the absence of the terrible sufferings of hell
2) Is about the presence of the wonderful!
3) Heaven is the place where….
A) God is
1) And if God should ever decide to move to hell- I’m going with Him
2) Because the presence of God is what makes heaven- heaven
B) Jesus will reign over Creation in the name of the Father as every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all….
C) Resurrected human beings will rule in the name of Jesus- and have the joy of continual ‘face-to-face’ fellowship with the Lord
D) Feasts and banquets and parties and celebrations are a regular part of the social calendar
E) Fun- games- laughter- new adventures will keep life interesting
F) Family- friends- loved ones will be together for all eternity
4) If it’s wrong to desire all that- then mark me guilty as charged
WHAT WE REALLY DESIRE
1) The 2002 Mission trip to Honduras was rough for me
A) I’d left home knowing I was clinically depressed
B) And then- during the fourth night- I got violently sick with a migraine- throwing up all night long
2) I was too sick to go to the work site so the team left me in this seedy motel room in beautiful downtown El Progresso
A) It was horrible. I couldn’t-
1) Lift my head off the bug infested mattress 2) Drink the polluted tap water
3) Even call the front desk for help
B) I have never been more lonely- felt further away from home- than I did during those 12 miserable hours
1) I knew where I wanted to be
2) I wanted to be with Pam in a familiar place called home- surrounded by the people who love me most
4) Thinking about that experience made me think about heaven. The desire God has placed in our hearts for heaven is really a form of homesickness
A) We enjoy where we are now- but we long for the place we were created to be
B) We want to be in the presence of God our Heavenly Father
1) With the person we were made for- Jesus
2) In the place we were made for- heaven
5) I hope I’ll never stop daydreaming about heaven
A) Because someday I’m going to be there- and it’s not because I’m Joe Super-Christian
B) I’ll be in heaven because-
1) Jesus Christ- the only begotten Son of the Living God- died on the Cross for my sin
2) I’ve asked God for the forgiveness of my sin and salvation in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
3) God says if you believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ you will be saved
6) Do you believe in Him? Do you know you’re going to be in heaven? Then dream on!
7) Let us pray
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