|
Introduction: You already know I
do not want to go to hell. I do not want to go to hell because I
will be separate from God, it will be absolute torment and it will
continue eternally. I am highly motivated to obey God simply
because I am absolutely terrified of being in hell. But that is
not my only motivation for serving the Lord and preparing for His
return. Separate and apart from my desire to stay out of hell, I
do want to go to heaven. Allow me to explain why. Discussion: I. I want to go to heaven to be in the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A.
In John
14:2-3, Jesus said the reward reserved for the faithful is
in His Father’s house. When we go to heaven, we will be in
God’s house, God’s dwelling place. We will be there with the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. B.
In Revelation
4:1, John was, in a vision, taken into heaven. There he
saw the Father on the throne (4:2;
5:1,13). He saw the Lamb, that is Christ the Son (5:5-6,
8-10, 12-13). He saw the Holy Spirit (4:5;
5:6).
C.
Today we are
awestruck when we see friends who have had pictures made with
sports stars, musicians or bands, actors or actresses and even
some politicians. We think it must have been amazing just to see
them and be there with them. And, frankly, we are little envious.
But imagine all eternity with the greatest, most awesome power in
the universe. No wonder Moses asked God, “I pray Thee, show me
Thy glory” (Exodus
33:18). But God could not show His full glory, because no
one can see God’s face and live (Exodus
33:20). But we will spend all eternity in the presence of
that glory. I want to go there. II.
I want to go
to heaven because I will then be in an imperishable, immortal
body. A.
I am only 33
years old. But already I am recognizing I live in a perishable
body. First, I am acquainted with death and have already come to
grips with its inevitable nature. What I am struggling with is the
back and knee pains that grow worse every year. I know compared to
others, my pains are minor and yet I know that my body is
deteriorating. And I cannot do anything to keep it from happening.
The Preacher in Ecclesiastes
provides a word picture of aging in Ecclesiastes
11:7-12:6. All of this is happening to me. None of us can
stop it, no matter how hard we try. B.
In addition
to our body’s deterioration, we are pained as we see the
deterioration of others. We watch loved ones waste away. We live
for years without those we love because their bodies have already
given out. We see the pain and sickness that besets even our
children. C.
But in
heaven, we will not have these kinds of bodies. I
Corinthians 15:42-44, 53-54 explains the difference
between our present bodies and our coming heavenly bodies. Now we
live in earthly, perishable, mortal, dishonorable, weak bodies.
But we will be raised or translated in the twinkling of an eye
into heavenly, imperishable, immortal, glorious, powerful bodies.
We will no longer see sickness or tragedy. We will never grow old
and never die. I want to go there. III.
I want to go
to heaven because righteousness dwells there. A.
In the
beginning, God created a perfect world. He placed Adam and Eve in
the Garden of Eden. Even then, Satan was a roaring lion seeking
whom he may devour. He tempted Adam and Adam sinned bringing sin
into the world (Romans
5:12). B.
Since that
time, sin has spread and continues to grow in our world. Its
effects are devastating, bringing about the ruin of lives,
families, communities and even nations. Not a day goes by that I
am not tempted to sin. Too many times, I have submitted. Some days
are better than others. But, nevertheless, I live in an
unrighteous world and I have followed along with it too many
times. I am tired of these temptations and sins that constantly
bombard me. I am looking for and ready for heaven, where there is
no sin and there is no temptation. I am looking for the new
heavens and new earth of which Peter spoke in II
Peter 3:13, in which righteousness dwells. C.
In heaven,
there is righteousness and only righteousness. I want to go there. IV.
I want to go
to heaven because then I will be like Christ. A.
My goal in
life is to be Christ-like. I am thankful that God has not left us
alone in this, but has promised that all who love Him will be
conformed to the image of Jesus (Romans
8:28-29). B.
The ultimate
accomplishment of that is not going to take place here in this
life. But in heaven, I will be like Christ. John explains that in I
John 3:2. Granted, this is not fully explained and even
John, the apostle, claimed he did not fully know what we will be
like. But we will be like Christ. To me that is amazing. I want to
be like Christ. I want to go to heaven. V.
I want to go
to heaven because then I will be able to rejoice with exultation. A.
While in
this life, I have found happiness to come through godliness and
contentment, just as the Bible teaches. I have learned that
trusting God provides greater happiness than striving for things.
But even in all of that, there are still times of sadness because
of the way our life is. B.
The sickness
and death in this world sadden me. The unfaithfulness to God of so
many saddens me. The persecution and mocking we receive from
others saddens me. All of these things impede on the happiness I
feel in Christ. C.
But in
heaven, there is rejoicing. As already mentioned, none of the sad
things that beset us here will trouble us there. I think of
Peter’s statement in the context of dealing with persecution in I
Peter 4:12-13. He encourages us to keep rejoicing no
matter what suffering and persecution we face. Why? Because in the
day Jesus is revealed in glory I will be able to rejoice with
exultation. The weight that has been holding me back will be
removed and I will be able to rejoice in Christ as I never have. I
look forward to that day and I want to go to heaven. VI.
I want to go
to heaven because then I will hear, “Well done, good and
faithful servant.” A.
Perhaps this
fits me more than many people. I am an “affirming words”
person. That is, I feel loved when people give me affirming words.
When I receive the “attaboys” and compliments, I am boosted.
Especially when someone to whom I look up speaks affirming words,
I am filled with joy. I practically lived to hear my dad say that
he was proud of me. B.
The Bible is
filled with the compliments of God that I want to hear. I know, I
will never deserve any of them. But He has promised to supply them
when I submit to Christ. I want to hear, “Well done, good and
faithful servant” (Matthew
25:21). I want to hear, “Come, you who are blessed of My
Father …” (Matthew
25:34). I want to hear, “I am not ashamed to be called
your God” (Hebrews
11:16). This is what I will hear, from God, in heaven. I
want to go there. VII.
I want to go to heaven because then God will entrust me
with true riches. A.
I am amazed
at the blessings with which God has entrusted me here in this
life. I make a good living. I have a wonderful wife. I have three
(almost four) of the greatest kids in the world. I have a nice
house. I drive nice cars. I wear good clothes. I have great
friends and a great spiritual family. I thank God that He has
looked down upon my pitiful self and seen fit to entrust all this
too me. However, I am well aware that all of these things are not
the true riches. B.
In Matthew
25:14-30, a parable of judgment, the master granted
greater stewardships to those who served faithfully. In Luke
16:10-12, another parable of stewardship and judgment,
Jesus proclaims that when we have been faithful in a few things,
God will grant us many things. If we are faithful stewards of
unrighteous riches, He will entrust us with true riches. When we
are faithful in what is another’s, He will give us what is our
own. In all honesty, I do not know what the many, the true riches,
or that which is my own will be. But I want to gain God’s trust,
found faithful in what He has given me here, so I can be entrusted
with greater things. That is what awaits us in heaven. I want to
go there. Conclusion: I remember in college, a friend asking me what heaven would be like. I hadn’t thought about it much and simply said there would be praising and worshipping God. She said, and I am amazed at her honesty, “I don’t think I want to go there. I mean, I don’t want to do that here. Why would I want to do it for eternity.” My response was simply, “Well, it beats the alternative.” Forgive my shallowness, I was only 18. While in a very real sense, I do want to go to heaven because it does beat the alternative. That is not the real reason. I want to go to heaven because I cannot even fathom the joy that will come with being there. I want to go to heaven. And I want you to come with me. Are you ready to go to heaven?
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
|
||||||||||
