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Series Code: DPM
Program Code: DPM000023A
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00:06 A survey was taken just a few years ago
00:10 where they asked people of various ages 00:13 to describe what they think heaven is like. 00:17 I want you to notice these varying responses. 00:20 When a college student was asked the question, he said... 00:33 That was his perception of heaven. 00:36 When a middle aged woman was asked 00:37 the same question, she said, "Heaven is a state of mind..." 00:46 She wasn't able to picture it as a real place. 00:50 When a question like this was asked to a 00:52 successful business man, he responded by saying, 00:56 "Heaven in my house..." 01:04 To him, his heaven was right here on this earth. 01:08 When another person was asked this question, 01:10 such as a skeptic, his answer was... 01:20 And finally, an elderly couple responded by saying, 01:24 "We hope heaven is a real place..." 01:36 Well friends, I want to tell you, we don't have to hope 01:39 that heaven is true. 01:40 We don't have to hope that heaven is a real place. 01:43 Because the Word of God gives us the absolute assurance 01:47 that Jesus is preparing a place for us. 01:51 Can you say amen? 01:52 And so the question would be, 01:53 "Well then, what is heaven really like?" 01:57 Not according to the traditions of the Middle Ages, 02:00 not according to what man thinks, 02:02 but according to what the Bible says. 02:05 And so, tonight we're just going to open up Isaiah 02:08 and Revelation, and different prophetic portions of the Bible, 02:12 and we're going to explore, how does God describe this place 02:17 that we call heaven. 02:19 Now, tonight I've given you a break. 02:21 Because every single text that we're going to look up 02:25 I've actually written out on the screen for you. 02:27 All these last 22 nights I've only given you 02:30 most of the time the references. 02:32 This time they're all written out. 02:34 But if you have your Bibles, I would still encourage you to 02:37 follow along with me. 02:39 So we're going to start in Acts chapter 3 in just a moment. 02:42 but I want to show you this picture of 02:44 the U.S. Treasury building. 02:46 Now if you've ever been there, it's in Washington, DC. 02:49 And I'm told that there are 1800 doors in this building alone. 02:56 Can you imagine how long it takes the janitor 02:58 to clean this place? 03:00 But the superintendent, no doubt, has one master key 03:04 that can open all 1800 doors. 03:07 But you know, God has a master key as well. 03:11 And that master key is the Bible. 03:13 Can you say amen? 03:15 And this book is going to describe for us 03:18 what heaven is like and why God has prepared it 03:22 for a people for which He has unconditional love. 03:27 Acts chapter 3 gives us the promise 03:30 that there is a day of restoration coming. 03:32 I'd like you to follow along with me. 03:59 See, from the very beginning when sin first entered 04:02 this world, God has given many different prophecies 04:06 promising that He would one day restore all things 04:11 to the perfection of the Garden of Eden. 04:13 And no matter what may happen to me in this world, 04:17 no matter how awful and chaotic things may be, 04:20 I have the promise from the Word of God 04:23 that there is coming a time when God will restore all things 04:27 to be new again. 04:29 See, when you go back to the book of Genesis, 04:32 you read that sad story of how sin first entered. 04:37 That when Adam and Eve chose not to trust God 04:41 and they ate of this forbidden fruit, 04:44 it turned this world over, in a sense, to Satan's control. 04:49 In a sense, it opened the door not only for sin, 04:52 but everything that comes with it. 04:54 Suffering, and pain, and sorrow, injustices, 04:59 and all kinds of unfair things. 05:01 Mankind was trapped in a world of sin. 05:06 In fact, it wasn't too long after that, 05:08 if you read Genesis chapter 3, 05:10 from the beginning God gave them a promise. 05:13 God said the Seed of the woman would come 05:16 to restore all things. 05:18 You know who that Seed of the woman was? 05:20 That's referring to Jesus Christ. 05:22 And even all the way back in the book of Genesis, 05:25 God instituted a system of sacrifices. 05:29 Not as elaborate as in the time of the Israelites. 05:32 But when Adam and Eve saw an animal or lamb 05:36 that would have been slain, to them it was a reminder of 05:39 how horrible sin is, of what sin has done to this planet 05:44 by bringing death and woe. 05:46 But it was also an encouragement 05:49 that one day the true Lamb of God would come. 05:53 That the Seed of the woman would pay the price for sin, 05:57 would give us His righteousness so that we can live in a 06:02 perfect world once again. 06:04 And all that is possible because of what Jesus has done for us. 06:08 Amen? 06:10 Happiness would be restored, perfection would be restored, 06:14 joy would be restored on the face of the earth. 06:18 And no matter what happens in my life, 06:20 that is always something that I have to look forward to. 06:26 Let's go to the book of Hebrews 11:10 and notice 06:30 some things that God has written. 06:32 Now I notice it's raining rather hard outside. 06:35 Can you still hear me with the mic on here? 06:37 No problem with sound? Okay. 06:39 Hebrews 11:10 06:41 The Bible says, speaking of Abraham... 06:54 See, Abraham knew this world was not his home. 06:59 Even though God had promised to make out of him 07:02 a great nation from his descendants, 07:05 Abraham knew even that nation would not last 07:07 forever on this earth. 07:09 Because Abraham knew there was coming a time 07:12 when God would create a city, 07:15 when He would be the builder and the maker. 07:18 And Abraham lived in faith and trusted God 07:22 for when that time would come. 07:25 But, you know, that promise is not just for Abraham. 07:28 That promise is for every person who chooses 07:31 to put their faith in God. 07:34 In fact, you can go all throughout the Bible 07:37 and you see these different characters; 07:39 men, women, and children, who were looking forward 07:44 to a better place. 07:45 Let's take a look at Moses. 07:47 Hebrews says this of Moses. 08:17 You understand what that's saying? 08:20 Even Moses understood that he did not want to live 08:24 with this pagan empire of Egypt. 08:27 A nation that would pull him away from the God of heaven. 08:30 He was willing to let go of power, of fame, 08:36 fortune, all kinds of fortune, to be able to go back 08:41 to God's people, the Hebrews, to suffer in affliction. 08:45 To live almost in slavery, he gave all that up. 08:49 And of course, eventually the time came 08:51 when he killed two Egyptians. 08:53 And really, he was banished for almost 40 years. 08:56 But then God used him to set the Israelites free. 09:00 He gave up everything in Egypt because He wanted to be 09:04 with the people of God. 09:06 Hebrews says he was looking forward to the reward. 09:10 That reward would have been heaven. 09:13 In fact, Hebrews describes so many people 09:16 who were looking forward to the heavenly country. 09:20 In Hebrews 11:13, the Bible goes on to say... 09:57 Now you catch what Hebrews is saying here. 10:00 You go back in this verse, they all realized 10:03 they were strangers and pilgrims here. 10:06 We realize that we were not meant to live in a sinful, 10:11 sorrowful, woeful earth forever. 10:15 We ought to say, "Amen," to that. 10:16 That was not God's plan. 10:18 We are strangers, we are pilgrims. 10:21 We are not going to be in a sinful place for eternity. 10:25 And so, just like these characters in the Bible, 10:28 you and I look forward to a heavenly country. 10:34 See, that means when I turn on the television 10:36 and I see a terrorist bomb that has gone off 10:39 in some part of the world, I'm reminded 10:41 this world is not my home. 10:45 When I see pictures of children lying in a cancer ward 10:49 dying of leukemia, a seven year old, 10:52 it's a reminder that this world is not my home. 10:56 This is not the way that God designed it to be. 11:01 When I hear stories of teenagers injecting heroine 11:04 into their vein, and snorting cocaine up their nostrils, 11:09 destroying both mind and body, 11:12 ruining the vigor of their youth, 11:14 it's a reminder to me that this world is not my home. 11:20 When I see a picture of a young couple lying in a maternity ward 11:25 sorrowful, dejected, and crying 11:29 because they lost their baby in childbirth, 11:33 it's another sad reminder that this world is not my home. 11:38 When you hear about a faithful wife and mother of 25 years, 11:43 took care of her husband, raised her children, 11:47 but after 25 years of marriage her husband runs off with 11:51 the secretary, it's a reminder that this world is not fair, 11:55 this world is not just, and this world is not my home. 11:59 When I hear stories of tsunamis and natural disasters 12:04 in all corners of the globe, it's another reminder to me 12:08 that this world is not my permanent home. 12:11 I am a stranger, I am a pilgrim here. 12:14 I look forward to a heavenly place. 12:17 Can you say amen to that? 12:19 And that's not a promise just for me. 12:21 That is a promise for you and all those who put their faith 12:24 in Jesus Christ. 12:25 This world is not our home. 12:30 When I see pictures of children with distended bellies 12:35 living in poverty, starving in India or Africa, 12:39 some other third world country, it's a stark reminder 12:43 that this is not the way God wanted it to be, 12:46 and this world is not my home. 12:50 Hebrews goes on to say this, Hebrews 11:16... 13:07 I want you to think about what that says. 13:09 See, the world may be ashamed of God's people. 13:13 The world may say, "Well, they're too religious. 13:16 They're fanatical. 13:18 They bring nothing positive to the plate." 13:20 The world may look at a single mother and say, 13:24 "She'll never amount to anything. 13:26 She's never invented anything for the good of society. 13:29 She doesn't have a big bank account. 13:31 She hasn't created a fortune 500 country, 13:34 or a fortune 500 business." 13:36 And the world may be ashamed of her. 13:39 But God says, when it comes to His people 13:41 who have suffered affliction, who have suffered sorrow, 13:45 and gone through all sorts of things, 13:47 though the world may persecute them, 13:49 in the end God will stand up and say, 13:52 "I am not ashamed of My people. 13:54 I am not ashamed of that single mother who is struggling, 13:57 but has been faithful to God. 13:59 I am not ashamed of that teenager who grew up in 14:02 very difficult situations, but they've been as faithful 14:05 as they possible can." 14:07 The world may reproach them, but my God says 14:10 He is not ashamed of His people. Amen? 14:14 And He has prepared a city for them. 14:19 The story is told of Marco Polo. 14:21 Now in your history classes, I'm going to assume, 14:24 how many of you ever heard of Marco Polo? 14:26 Can I see your hands? 14:27 Well he was the Italian explorer that spend nearly 20 years 14:32 over in the Orient near China. 14:34 And when he came back home, he had incredible stories 14:39 to tell, of which most people did not believe him. 14:43 When he came back, he tried to describe for them 14:46 about black rocks that burned with fire, 14:50 but were not consumed. 14:51 They thought he was lying because they had 14:54 never seen coal before. 14:56 He described for them cloth that you could throw in the fire 15:01 but it would not get burned up. 15:03 And they thought he was telling an incredible tale 15:06 because they had never seen asbestos before. 15:10 He tried to describe for them serpents ten paces long 15:15 with jaws big enough to partially swallow a small man, 15:19 and they thought he was making it up 15:21 because they had never seen crocodiles. 15:25 He told them about nuts that were as big as a man's hand, 15:30 and they thought that Marco Polo was telling a big white lie 15:34 because they had never seen coconuts. 15:38 And we are told that when Marco Polo was on his death bed, 15:42 a devout religious man tried to get him to, you know, 15:45 confess all these tales he told so that he can be 15:48 right with God when he dies. 15:50 And Marco Polo answered him and said, 15:53 "It's all true. 15:54 Every bit of it is true..." 16:00 See, his people couldn't imagine it because they never saw it. 16:04 And in one reality, that's true when it comes 16:07 to the kingdom of heaven. 16:08 The Bible does its best to describe it 16:11 for us in human language. 16:13 But the truth is, the half of it has not been told. 16:18 In 1 Corinthians 2, notice what Paul says when he 16:22 kind of introduces this subject. 16:43 See, even the Bible warns us, our eyes have never laid eyes 16:48 on the things of heaven. 16:49 We have never truly heard what God has prepared for us. 16:53 We can't even begin to imagine it. 16:56 Even as we read John's descriptions in Revelation 17:00 in just a few minutes, you find very clearly that 17:03 sometimes John was at a loss for words. 17:06 I mean, he tried his best in his human limitations 17:11 to try to put on paper things that he saw, 17:16 things he never saw before, and he's trying to describe it. 17:19 Can you imagine that? 17:20 I mean, the limitations of human language and capability, 17:25 John and Isaiah, and others in the Bible, 17:28 did the absolute best they could. 17:30 But we have to understand, 17:32 the half has truly not been told just yet. 17:36 We won't fully understand until we see it with our own eyes 17:41 in the kingdom of heaven. 17:44 So let's begin with some things that John said in Revelation 21. 17:48 Let's start in verse 1. 18:16 Now let me ask you a question. 18:17 The best way that John could seemingly describe 18:21 the glories of heaven is by comparing it to a woman, 18:26 a bride on her wedding day. 18:29 Now when you think back to the day you were married... 18:32 For some that might be recent. 18:34 You know, for some that may be a little farther back. 18:37 But I remember, we were married about 19 years ago. 18:41 And you know, if there is any day in a woman's existence 18:46 when she wants to look her absolute best, 18:50 when she wants to look as perfect as is humanly possible, 18:55 what day do you suppose that's going to be? 18:57 That's going to be her wedding day. 19:00 Because that's a special day for the woman. 19:03 Now I know it's a special day for the groom too. 19:05 You know, but you know the old adage, 19:07 they say this is the day for the bride. 19:10 You know, when you think about it, 19:12 how much time do you think a bride spends 19:15 preparing for her wedding day? 19:17 Picking out the dress and everything she's going to wear. 19:20 You think they do that in just an hour? 19:23 Probably not. 19:24 She gathers together maybe her mother, 19:26 maybe all her friends and bride's maids, 19:28 and they go shopping together. 19:30 And then on the day of the wedding, 19:33 who do you think gets up first, the bride or the groom? 19:36 What do you think? 19:37 Oh, it's going to be the bride. 19:39 The bride probably gets up early in the morning, 19:42 has all her girlfriends come along with her, 19:44 and for hours they will spend time making the dress 19:48 just right, primping the hair, 19:51 maybe putting on a little make-up. 19:53 Everything they can do to get her as perfectly 19:56 beautiful as possible. 19:59 And what do you think the groom does? 20:02 Well I can assure you he doesn't get his guy friends 20:04 coming into the room and helping him get his 20:06 hair ready, and helping him get dressed. 20:08 I certainly wouldn't do that. 20:10 Now you know, us guys, sure we want to look our best, 20:13 but we don't quite bring everyone 20:15 into the room to help us. 20:16 Can you guys say amen? 20:18 You know, God made men a little bit different. 20:20 We let women have their fun. 20:22 And so really, the woman, the bride, 20:25 the whole day is the experience. 20:27 But if we're honest, what part of the day is 20:30 the groom looking forward to? 20:32 See, you don't want to say. 20:34 He's looking forward to the honeymoon. 20:35 But you know what? 20:37 That's okay, because they're married 20:39 and they're husband and wife. 20:40 Can you say amen? 20:41 A bride beautifully adorned for her husband. 20:45 That's how heaven is described to you and me. 20:50 And so, if a bride goes through such effort to prepare herself 20:54 for her husband, how much effort is our perfect 21:00 Creator God putting forth to prepare a place 21:05 that's for you and me? 21:07 That tells me how much He must love us. 21:11 See, as the holy city descends to the remade earth, 21:14 it's really meant to be the most festive event in the universe. 21:19 God is coming to remake this earth to live with us. 21:24 God has been separated from us long enough. 21:27 He wants to be with us forever. 21:32 Revelation 21:14 John continues to describe 21:36 this holy city. 21:49 Now I don't know if you've ever thought about this. 21:51 Just think about it for a minute. 21:53 Why are the names of the twelve disciples 21:57 on the foundations of this city? 22:01 What is that trying to communicate to you and I? 22:05 I mean, think it through here. 22:08 Were the disciples perfect people? 22:11 Far from it. 22:12 But why are their names on that city? 22:15 Are they the super spiritually elite? 22:19 I mean, these are men that made serious mistakes. 22:23 I mean, Peter had a terrible temper. 22:26 He denied Jesus three times. One time with curse words. 22:31 James and John were known as sons of thunder. 22:35 Thomas was doubting, didn't have much faith sometimes. 22:39 Matthew used to be a dishonest tax collector. 22:42 None of them, except Judas, was highly educated. 22:46 Most of them were fishermen or common laborers. 22:50 But yet, the grace of Christ transformed them. 22:54 You see, the fact that these faulty men are on the foundation 22:58 of this city, God is saying to us, if they can make it, 23:01 so can we. 23:03 See, heaven is not for, in a sense, 23:05 perfect people on our own. 23:07 We're only perfect through Jesus. 23:08 Heaven is for sinners who have given their lives 23:11 to Jesus Christ and who have been changed. 23:14 The common ordinary person. 23:17 People who are struggling. 23:19 People who have not been perfect throughout their lives, 23:22 but have been wise enough to hand their lives 23:25 over to Jesus Christ to be cleansed and to be changed. 23:29 And so, those disciples can be changed by the love of Jesus. 23:33 That gives you and I hope that we cannot fall so low 23:37 that Jesus can't change you and I. 23:40 Heaven is a place for you and me, 23:42 not just for the super spiritually elite. 23:46 Can you say amen? 23:47 That's why their names are on that foundation. 23:50 In verse 16 now it describes the size of this city. 24:07 Now I want you to think about this. 24:09 If it's laid out in a square, it has how many sides? 24:13 Four sides. 24:14 Revelation goes on to describe that there are three gates 24:19 on each side of the city. 24:21 Now if there's four sides, you do the computations. 24:24 How many gates is that? 24:26 Twelve gates. 24:28 Now I want you to consider this. 24:30 In the ancient world, how many gates do you think 24:33 most cities had? 24:36 Not many. It wasn't twelve. 24:38 See, most cities did not want to have many gates. 24:42 You know why? 24:43 Because that's how they wanted to keep the enemy out. 24:46 And the more gates you have, the more you have to take guard, 24:50 especially during times of war, and control who is going in 24:55 and who is coming out. 24:56 And if you have twelve gates, you're going to have to be doing 24:59 a lot of watching. 25:00 Most cities had few gates. 25:03 But here in the first century when Revelation was written, 25:07 John describes this city as having twelve gates. 25:11 So what's the point of that? 25:14 See, what God is telling us is, 25:16 heaven's goal is not to keep people out. 25:18 Heaven's goal is to get as many people in as possible. 25:22 That's why there are twelve gates. 25:25 Can you say amen to that? 25:27 See, churches sometimes may try to shut people out. 25:31 Us as individuals sometimes shut people out. 25:34 Because maybe they're not the right color, 25:37 according to some people. 25:38 Maybe they speak a different language. 25:41 Maybe they're a difficult person. 25:44 Maybe they are not of the right class of people. 25:47 And history has shone where many churches 25:50 have shut people out. 25:51 But God wants His church to be opening the doors for people 25:56 so they can have a relationship with Jesus Christ. 25:58 And if heaven's goal is to get in as many people as possible, 26:02 that means that's the goal for the church 26:04 of Jesus Christ as well. 26:06 Amen? 26:07 Now it doesn't mean we lower our standards 26:09 or we don't preach the truth. 26:10 But we have to understand our goal. 26:13 Our mission is to bring people to Jesus Christ, 26:17 not to keep them away, like the Pharisees of Jesus' day. 26:22 This city has twelve gates. 26:27 It goes on to say in verse 16, 26:30 "And he measured the city with the reed..." 26:36 You say, "Great, twelve thousand furlongs. 26:39 How long is that?" 26:41 That's not a measurement that we use today. 26:43 But you know, when you do the computations, 26:45 you know what that equals up to? 26:48 About 1500 miles in circumference, 26:50 all four sides together. 26:52 So if it's a square equal on all four sides, 26:56 that's about 375 miles per side. 27:01 This is not a small city. 27:04 God is obviously not trying to keep people out. 27:07 If anyone misses out on the kingdom of heaven, 27:10 it will not be because God doesn't want them there. 27:13 It will be simply because they rejected the free gift 27:18 of salvation. 27:20 Its length, its breadth, its height are equal. 27:24 Now you know, a mathematician took this description 27:28 and he was able to somehow estimate that the New Jerusalem 27:33 could house two billion people just on the ground floor. 27:37 And if it was a multi-story city, 27:39 the possibilities are endless. 27:42 Now I'm not a mathematician. 27:44 I'm not sure how he came up with that, 27:46 But obviously the point is, God desperately desires 27:51 for people to be there. 27:53 Some won't because of their choice. 27:56 But God has opened the doors that anyone 27:59 has that opportunity, through Jesus Christ. 28:02 Amen? 28:04 In fact, they estimate it's about as big 28:07 as the size of the state of Colorado. 28:10 I don't know if you've ever been to Colorado. 28:12 I've driven through there. 28:13 It's a beautiful state. 28:15 That's about how large the New Jerusalem is 28:19 according to the measurements of the book of Revelation. 28:23 What a glorious city that's going to be. 28:27 John continues in Revelation chapter 21. 28:30 And now in verse 21 he describes the gates. 28:34 I don't want you to miss this. 28:48 Now is there any significance to the fact that each gate 28:51 is made of one big pearl? 28:56 I want you to think about this. 28:58 In the gospels, who is symbolized as the 29:03 pearl of great price? 29:06 Jesus is. 29:08 So these pearls symbolize Jesus Christ; these gates. 29:12 And see, what it's reminding me is, if I want to get into 29:15 that city, it's only going to be through the blood of Jesus. 29:18 Amen? 29:19 It's not going to be by my righteousness, 29:21 which I don't have. 29:22 It's not going to be by my superior wisdom, 29:25 or your superior looks. 29:27 It's not going to be because I lived in perfect obedience. 29:31 It's going to be because I've given my life to Jesus. 29:35 His perfect righteousness now covers my sins. 29:40 His perfect life is written in my record book up in heaven. 29:45 Jesus is the pearl. Jesus is the way. 29:50 Jesus is the truth, the life. 29:52 He is the gate, He is the door. 29:55 Can you say amen? 29:56 See, it's reminding us it's only going to happen through Jesus. 30:00 Not through your good works, 30:02 not through what you wear or don't wear, 30:04 not through what you eat or don't eat. 30:06 Those things may be all well and good 30:08 and good teachings from the Bible that we should follow, 30:11 but that's not what gains us access into heaven. 30:14 It is only the cross of Jesus Christ. 30:19 In fact, I don't have the verse here, 30:22 but you know, Jesus once told a story or a parable 30:25 about a man who went into a field. 30:28 And in that field he noticed there was a great pearl 30:32 hidden in the ground. 30:34 And what did that man go and do? 30:38 He sold everything he had in order to purchase that field 30:43 because he wanted the pearl of great price. 30:46 You know what that tells me? 30:49 Jesus is telling you and me through that parable, 30:52 there is nothing in this world 30:55 that is worth missing out on the glories of heaven. 30:59 There is nothing in this world, no person, no thing, 31:04 no cherished sin that is worth missing out on the paradise 31:09 that God has prepared for you and me. 31:12 If there's something that stands between 31:16 you and Jesus, the Bible implores us, let it go. 31:21 It's not worth it. 31:23 It would be a foolish thing to trade for eternal life 31:28 in God's kingdom. 31:30 We should be willing to give everything up 31:33 in order to spend eternity with Jesus 31:37 in this heavenly country. 31:40 John goes on to say, "And the street of that city..." 31:50 See, our Creator God, our heavenly Father, 31:52 He's so rich, He has so many resources 31:55 He makes the streets of gold. 31:58 And how much money do you think that's worth? 32:00 I have no idea. 32:02 All I know is if they made all the streets of Nixa 32:05 or Springfield of gold, how much money do think that would take? 32:10 Millions, maybe billions of dollars. 32:13 I'm sure you probably wouldn't like the tax bill 32:15 when it came out, because you know who 32:16 would be paying for that. 32:18 But God says the streets of heaven are like gold. 32:21 It's a valuable place. 32:23 Why does God make it so beautiful and glorious? 32:27 Have you ever considered that? 32:29 Why does God leave no expense and effort undone? 32:34 You know why? 32:36 The city is so valuable because you're valuable to God. 32:42 See, we live in a world where sometimes there are people 32:45 who will tell you that you're not worth anything. 32:49 Sometimes it's our family. 32:51 Sometimes it's our friends. 32:54 They'll tell us, "You'll never amount to anything." 32:57 They'll tell you that you're inferior, 32:59 that you're not special. 33:01 But you know what? 33:02 My Bible tells me that God is not ashamed. 33:05 That He has prepared a place for me. 33:07 And heaven is so valuable because Jesus thinks 33:10 that you and I are valuable. 33:12 If He can give us life, if He can lay His life 33:14 down on a cross, it doesn't matter what the people 33:17 of the world says, my Savior says I am valuable. 33:22 You are valuable. 33:25 See, my dad kind of grew up in a family where 33:30 he wasn't always valued. 33:32 At least by his father. 33:35 His father always told him he wouldn't amount to anything. 33:40 That his siblings were better than he was, 33:42 because my dad didn't have certain skills 33:45 that his father had. 33:48 And because of that, even today my dad has a bit of an 33:51 inferiority complex at times. 33:54 But you know what gives me courage? 33:57 My dad, a man who quit school in tenth grade 34:00 to go into the army, just barely got his GED, 34:04 when he gave his life over to Jesus, 34:07 Jesus said, "He's valuable." 34:10 When he decided to follow Jesus with all his heart, 34:12 all his mind, all his soul, 34:15 he worked for a place called, Christian Record Services. 34:18 You've heard of that place that ministers to the blind. 34:20 I used to work there myself. 34:22 And do you know, this man with barely a high school education, 34:26 never been to college a day in his life, 34:28 he raised more money to help the blind 34:31 than anybody in the history of 115 years of that organization. 34:36 He raised two million dollars, 34:38 never had a fundraising class in his life. 34:41 Why? Because when we give our capabilities to Jesus, 34:44 He multiplies them. 34:46 When someone says you're not worth it, 34:48 when someone says you're not valuable, 34:50 don't you listen to them. 34:51 Because your God and your Creator says you are valuable 34:55 and you are worth something. 34:56 That's why He prepared the kingdom of heaven for you. 35:00 If that's not a reason to say amen, 35:02 I don't know what is. 35:04 People want to know what will our physical conditions 35:07 be in the new earth? 35:08 I mean, are we just going to float around like spirits 35:13 on a cloud and just strum a harp? 35:15 I certainly hope not, because I tell you, 35:17 that sounds awfully boring to me. 35:19 I want to do more than be sitting on a cloud for eternity. 35:24 But you know, the Bible answers that question. 35:27 Notice what it says in Philippians 3:20 35:29 when it describes Jesus' resurrected body. 35:33 The Bible says, "For our citizenship is..." 35:51 Now what was Jesus' body like when He resurrected? 35:54 Was He a spirit that just floated around? 35:57 Not according to the Bible. 35:59 It says that His disciples eventually recognized Him. 36:03 When He appeared to them in the upper room, 36:05 what was it He told Thomas to do? 36:08 He said, "Here, touch the nail prints in My hand. 36:11 See the scars on My side and in My feet." 36:15 He was a real body of flesh and bone. 36:18 The difference is, it was no longer a necessarily 36:21 human nature body, but now it was a glorified, 36:24 a resurrected body after the cross. 36:26 But they saw Him, they could touch Him. 36:29 In fact, it even describes that He actually ate some fish 36:32 with them along the seashore one day 36:34 after they were done fishing. 36:36 So very clearly, we're not going to be a spirit floating around, 36:40 but we have a body of flesh and bones. 36:42 But this time it is not tainted by sin 36:46 and by the blemishes of this earth. 36:49 See, that tells me that in heaven we're going to 36:52 recognize each other. 36:54 And I'm sure glad for that. 36:55 I want to recognize Marquita. Amen? 37:07 But see, the difference is, this time they're not going to 37:11 be tainted with sinfulness. 37:13 It's not going to have the blemishes of all our 37:16 mistakes on this earth. 37:18 We have a glorified body and character as well. 37:21 We'll recognize each other. 37:23 And I should hope so. 37:24 Because I want to remember my family. 37:26 I want to remember friends that I have known 37:29 who have chosen to follow Jesus. 37:31 If the disciples recognized Him, then we're going to recognize 37:35 each other. 37:37 In Isaiah 33:24... 37:40 You know, John the Revelator is not the only one 37:43 who was given glimpses of heaven. 37:45 Even Isaiah, in the Old Testament, was given 37:49 some pictures and descriptions. 37:51 Notice how he describes the kingdom of God. 38:09 Now I've got to pause there. 38:12 There's a couple of things in that verse I absolutely love. 38:16 Number one, you or I will never again say, "I'm sick." 38:21 No more doctor's offices, no more co-pays, 38:25 no more crazy insurance premiums, 38:28 no more emergency rooms, no more having to dial 911. 38:34 We will have a perfect body in perfect health. 38:37 Never again an ache or a pain. 38:39 Never again a sickness. 38:42 I tell you what, that ought to make you jump out of your seat. 38:44 Because I don't ever... I hate being sick. 38:47 And you can ask my wife. 38:49 I can deal with it for two days. 38:52 After two days, I get mad. 38:55 After two days of being sick, I get mad at the sickness 38:58 and I refuse to believe I'm sick, 38:59 and I just go about my business. 39:01 I don't know if that's a good idea or not. 39:03 Maybe it just makes me worse. 39:05 That's just my stubborn German attitude. 39:07 I don't like to be sick. 39:08 In fact, I remember a couple of years ago, 39:11 actually just a year and a half ago, 39:13 I was at a pastor's conference in Des Moines, Iowa. 39:17 Actually, you were there too. 39:18 And I remember at that conference, it was about 39:20 half of a week long, and one of the presenters 39:24 who came had just gotten over, or I think actually still had 39:28 some sickness and part of the flu. 39:31 And of course, when you are in a small room 39:34 for hours upon hours of meetings, 39:37 you're shaking hands, you're sharing, 39:39 you're eating food together, if somebody is sick 39:43 what's probably going to happen? 39:46 Some other people are going to get sick. 39:48 And one after another, this minister got sick, 39:51 and then another, and some of them had to leave. 39:55 And by Wednesday when it was supposed to be over, 39:58 I'm sitting in the morning meetings and I'm realizing, 40:01 "You know what? I don't feel very good." 40:05 I start leaning against the back wall and I'm realizing, 40:08 "Man, if I'm ever going to drive home, 40:10 well I better get some rest." 40:11 So I went back to my hotel room. 40:15 And I remember, as I laid down I started realizing, 40:19 "Man, I have got the flu." 40:23 And you know what? 40:24 About a half an hour later my colleague, pastoral colleague 40:29 who I was rooming with, Joshua, he comes in the room. 40:33 You know what he says? 40:35 "I don't feel so good either." 40:37 And we thought, let's lay down for an hour, 40:39 and then we're getting out of here. 40:40 So we laid down for an hour. 40:42 And once we got up, we were worse. 40:44 And we realized, there's no way that we can drive 40:47 six hours back to St. Louis. 40:49 I thought, "Oh my, what do I do?" 40:51 And so I went to the supervisor. 40:53 And it was hard to get out of bed, let me tell you. 40:55 I went to the supervisor and said, "Sir, please, 40:58 is there any way we can just stay in the room an extra night? 41:02 Just let us sleep." 41:04 And he said, "Yes." 41:05 And so I remember, for the next sixteen hours 41:08 from one o'clock to early the next morning 41:10 I just felt like death warmed over. 41:13 You know how that feels. 41:14 You've got a fever, your skin is burning hot, but yet 41:17 you're still shivering with the shakes like you're cold. 41:20 You can't get comfortable no matter which way 41:23 you lie and turn over. 41:25 And the problem was, Marquita was worried 41:27 and wondering where we are. 41:29 And so, I had left my cell phone on the dresser 41:31 just on the other side of the room. 41:34 But you know, I felt so absolutely horrible 41:36 I could not even get out of bed to go over 41:39 and answer that cell phone. 41:41 And so she called everybody on the planet to come check on us 41:44 to see where we were and what had happened to us. 41:47 And I tell you what, I will never forget that night there. 41:50 Joshua was in his bed, I'm in my bed. 41:52 It was like a sick ward. 41:54 Finally, the next morning we felt good enough to drive home. 41:58 And we just barely made that six hours. 42:01 And when we each went into our homes, 42:03 our wives did the same thing. 42:05 They both saw us, quarantined us to the bedroom and said, 42:08 "Don't touch the kids, don't kiss them, don't hold them." 42:11 In fact, Marquita even slept on the couch for a couple of days 42:13 because I was so sick she didn't want to catch it herself. 42:16 I will never forget that. 42:17 And I tell you, when I get to heaven, 42:19 never again am I going to have flu again. 42:21 Can you say amen? 42:22 But you know the best part about that verse is? 42:25 It's the last part. 42:27 Not only will we be physically whole, 42:30 we will be spiritually whole. 42:33 Because those who dwell in it have all their iniquities 42:38 totally forgiven and wiped away. 42:41 Because that's what Jesus has done for us. 42:46 To me, that's one of the best parts of heaven. 42:49 Isaiah 35:5 says... 43:07 No more disabilities or infirmities. 43:11 You think that there will be children who perhaps have been 43:13 crippled for life, they're going to be out in the 43:16 fields playing together. Amen? 43:18 They're going to be climbing up trees, 43:20 maybe they'll be playing hide and seek. 43:22 Because there will no longer be anything 43:24 deformed about their limbs. 43:26 Why? Because Jesus has healed them. 43:28 Not just physically, but also spiritually. 43:33 I'll never see another child in a wheelchair. 43:37 You'll never see a sick child lying in bed. 43:40 You'll never see an adult needing a 43:42 mobile scooter anymore. 43:44 All that is going to be done away with. 43:47 I'll never see a child with down syndrome 43:50 or some kind of mental illness. 43:52 Because even mentally and emotionally 43:54 all of us will be made whole. 43:57 Amen? 43:58 Revelation 21:4, God continues. 44:16 The former way of life that we had known, 44:19 it will be all passed away. 44:22 Pastor Mark, you'll never have to do a eulogy 44:25 at a funeral again. 44:26 And I can tell you, all ministers will say amen to that. 44:29 No more death. 44:32 You know what that means? 44:34 No more will you ever get one of those phone calls 44:38 in the middle of the night. 44:40 How many of you have ever experienced that? 44:42 A phone call in the middle of the night 44:44 delivering tragic news. 44:46 How many have ever had to deal with that? 44:48 Many of us. 44:50 You know, I remember my grandmother. 44:54 My mom's mom. 44:56 We called her, Grammy. 44:59 She basically grew up with us. Or I grew up with her. 45:04 She lived with us from the time I was a baby. 45:07 And if you can just picture this 96 year old woman, 45:10 of course she wasn't always 96, but just this short, spunky, 45:15 fiery woman, that was my grandma, Gram. 45:20 You know, and I just remember she helped 45:22 to raise me as a little child. 45:24 And I tell you what, when she could get excited about 45:27 something, she'd let you know it. 45:28 Now when I met Marquita, she loved Marquita, let me tell you. 45:33 And when we were dating, she would regularly come up to me, 45:36 that is, my grandma, with a $20 bill, and she'd say, 45:40 "You go take Marquita out to eat on a date." 45:43 And see, Gram is not someone you could easily 45:45 say no to, let me tell you. 45:47 And a lot of times I didn't want to take it because, 45:49 you know, she lived on a fixed income. 45:52 Social Security. She didn't have a lot of money. 45:54 And I'd say, "No Gram, I've got a job. 45:57 I'll use my money." 45:59 But boy, you say that to Grammy, you know what she'd do to me? 46:01 You're going to think I'm exaggerating, 46:03 but you can ask Marquita. 46:04 Man, she'd make a fist and put it in my face 46:06 and she'd say, "You take that money." 46:09 And I had to take it. 46:10 Now she didn't hit me or anything, but she'd say, 46:11 "You take that money." 46:13 And if I didn't take it, you know what she did next? 46:15 She'd grab my shirt and stuff it down my shirt. 46:17 Marquita, do I exaggerate? 46:19 She has seen that happen. 46:21 That was just her way of showing love. 46:23 She would never hurt me in the world. 46:25 But you know, I remember when she got to be about 95 or 96, 46:30 her diabetes caught up with her. 46:33 She had to go to the hospital. 46:37 And I remember she was given the news by the doctors 46:40 that if she's going to survive, she has to have one of her 46:43 legs amputated. 46:46 And that just took the life out of her. 46:49 I can remember watching her just bury her head in her hands, 46:52 and watching this 96 year old woman cry. 46:57 Because she knew she was nearing the end. 47:01 I remember we went back to western Pennsylvania, 47:03 and one morning the phone rang at about 4:00 in the morning. 47:07 And I don't know how to describe it, 47:09 but when the phone rang I just knew, 47:12 I just knew somebody was going to tell me 47:15 that Gram had died. 47:18 And that's what happened. 47:20 I can remember just hanging up the phone... 47:22 It was my aunt who told me. 47:24 I can remember hanging up the phone and just burying my head 47:27 on the couch downstairs, and just started crying and weeping. 47:32 Because this was someone who had been a part of my life 47:35 for all of my life. 47:37 And now she was gone. 47:39 But the thing I'm thankful for is, before she died, 47:42 before she went to the hospital, I had a couple of opportunities 47:47 to tell her about Jesus. 47:49 And even though she lived a rough life, 47:53 she made some mistakes she wished she had never chosen, 47:57 when I said, "Gram, would you like to have 47:59 Jesus to be your Savior? 48:00 Would you like to ask Him to forgive you? 48:03 To just come into your life and wipe away your sins?" 48:07 I remember she said, "Yes, I want you to pray that for me." 48:11 And as I grabbed her hand and prayed, 48:14 during that prayer I could just feel her hand squeezing mine. 48:18 And without words, she was saying that meant 48:21 something to her. 48:23 I look forward to seeing my Grammy one day. 48:26 I bet there's people you're looking forward to seeing too. 48:29 I'll never have a phone call like that again in heaven. 48:33 In the last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22, 48:35 John goes on and he says, 48:38 "And he showed me a pure river of water of life..." 49:03 That tells me there is something about the fruit 49:06 from the tree of life that helps to heal us from sin. 49:10 Heals us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 49:16 See, the provisions that God has made for you and me 49:20 to be totally healed of sin. 49:23 See, in heaven I'm going to be loved by God. 49:26 You're going to be cherished by God. 49:31 Can you think of a better place. 49:33 Here on this earth we're not always loved. 49:35 And we're certainly not always cherished. 49:38 And we're definitely not always satisfied. 49:42 Then comes Isaiah 11:9. 49:45 This was my other grandma's favorite verse. 50:01 Now my other grandma, Grandma Esther, 50:03 she's the most godly woman I ever met. 50:05 Never saw her lose her temper. 50:07 That's my dad's mom. 50:10 Every Thursday night was grocery night. 50:12 And so mom and dad would drop me off at Grandma Esther's house 50:15 while they went shopping. 50:17 And so I had such fun. 50:19 She had two cats; I played with Calico the cat 50:22 and Pumpkin the cat. 50:23 And even Spotty the dog. 50:25 I loved them. 50:27 And what Grandma Esther would do is, across the street 50:31 there was Jim and Nina's Pizzeria. 50:34 And so we'd go over and get a homemade pizza. 50:37 We'd eat together at the table and she'd give me ice cream. 50:41 And yeah, I know, for those of us that are really 50:43 health conscious, you've got to remember, 50:45 you don't go to grandma's house to be health conscious 50:48 when you're a kid, you know. 50:49 Pizza and ice cream sounds good when you're 50:51 10 or 11 years old, amen? 50:53 And I remember we'd sit at the table, and then we'd 50:55 read the Bible together. 50:57 And whenever she'd read this verse, she would always 51:00 look at me and she'd say, "Oh, David, 51:02 how wonderful that will be." 51:06 A day where there's no violence anymore 51:09 in the world or even in our homes. 51:13 Isaiah 65 describes some of the things we're going to do there. 51:42 You think you're going to be bored? 51:45 Build houses? 51:47 Plant vineyards and gardens? 51:50 I mean, I love this. Because, you know what? 51:52 There's one gift that God has not given me. 51:54 Well there's more than one gift He hasn't given me. 51:56 But the one that stands out the most, I am not 51:59 a mechanical person, not naturally. 52:02 I am not good at building things. 52:04 My wife knows that. 52:05 Now give me instructions, I'll make my way through it. 52:08 But I probably won't do it very fast. 52:10 Well, apparently in heaven God is going to give me that gift. 52:14 And I can build houses. 52:16 So, Honey, I'm going to build you the best house you ever had. 52:19 Because that's what the Bible says I'm going to do. 52:21 Can you say amen? 52:23 Now people wonder, what about fellowship and friends? 52:26 What are we going to do with people there? 52:28 Is it going to be stiff, stilted conversations? 52:33 I don't think so. 52:34 Jesus answers this question. 52:36 Matthew 8:11 52:38 Jesus says, "And I say to you that many will come 52:42 from the east and the west, and sit down with Abraham, 52:46 and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 52:50 Now think about what that means. 52:53 People who have been saved from all the ages, 52:56 all different centuries, all cultures, 53:00 we're going to have eternity to hear their testimonies. 53:05 Even people I grew up with. 53:07 Even people whose names aren't in the Bible. 53:09 That's not just limited to the characters of the Bible. 53:12 And we're going to have great fun together and fellowship. 53:16 Now one of the things I love to do, I hope you won't take this 53:18 the wrong way, I love to play basketball. 53:21 And so I determined, in heaven I already know 53:24 who my heavenly basketball team is going to be. 53:26 And the great thing about heaven and basketball there is, 53:29 nobody is going to fight, nobody is going to curse, 53:31 nobody is going to get upset. 53:33 We're truly going to have fun. Amen? 53:34 So I'm going to reveal to you here in Nixa who my heavenly 53:37 basketball team is going to be. 53:39 I wrote it down this afternoon, okay. 53:41 These are the five people on my team. 53:42 So I've got these folks. 53:44 You're just going to have to pick somebody else. 53:45 Here's who I want. 53:46 I want Sampson because he's a strong guy. 53:50 I want Jehu because he's quick. 53:54 I want David because he's full of courage and tenacity. 53:58 I want Adam because he's tall. 54:01 And I want Paul because he never quits and he never gives up. 54:05 So that's going to be my heavenly basketball team. 54:08 You've got some others to choose from as well. 54:10 But you think what else this means. 54:12 I can go to Moses. 54:15 "Moses, what was it like to cross the Red Sea? 54:19 What was it like to look up there and see hundreds of feet 54:22 of a wall of water? 54:24 Were you scared? 54:26 What was it like, Moses, to get the Ten Commandments from God?" 54:31 I can ask Daniel, "What was it like to be thrown 54:34 in that den, not knowing if your life would be spared? 54:38 What's it like to look into the eyes of a lion?" 54:42 I can ask Peter and Paul what it was like to take 54:44 the gospel to the world? 54:45 Even to heal people? 54:47 What was it like when you guys were the center of a riot? 54:50 What were you experiencing? 54:53 But you know what's best of all? 54:55 I can see Jesus. 54:58 And for the first time in our lives we can go to Jesus, 55:04 not separated by a wall, 55:07 not having to get on our knees in a bedroom and pray 55:10 to something we can't see. 55:12 I'll be able to go to Jesus face to face 55:15 and say, "Thank You." 55:18 Thank You for what You've done for me. 55:22 Thank You for saving me. 55:24 Thank You for allowing Your perfect hands 55:27 to be nailed to the cross." 55:30 And I'll be able to give Jesus a hug. 55:34 And I'll be satisfied. 55:36 And He will be able to receive my appreciation 55:39 for the first time face to face. 55:42 That is the absolute best part of heaven. 55:46 And then lastly, did you know we still go to church in heaven? 55:51 Think about it, we're still going to worship Him. 55:54 That's why Isaiah 66 says... 56:02 And that makes sense. 56:04 Is God still our Creator in heaven? 56:06 Yeah. 56:07 Is He still our Redeemer? Indeed. 56:10 So whatever worship is going to be like there, 56:13 I'm telling you, I want a front row seat. Amen? 56:15 So if you want a front row seat, you better get there before I do 56:18 on the first Sabbath service, or whatever it is that 56:21 we're going to do in the kingdom of heaven. 56:25 Lastly, John starts to wind down and he says in Revelation 21, 56:31 "And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying..." 56:52 You see, friends, when you realize what Jesus has 56:54 done for you, there's nothing in this world worth missing out 56:59 on the glories of heaven. 57:01 You're so valuable, He created that place for you. 57:05 I'm so valuable, He carried the cross to Calvary. 57:10 We mean so much to Him that He opens up the door of eternity 57:17 to you and me. 57:19 And so, that should cause us to say in our minds, 57:22 Lord Jesus, may there be nothing that stands 57:27 between you and me. 57:29 May it be our prayer tonight to say, 57:31 "Lord, I'm asking You to save me in Your kingdom. 57:35 Lord, help me to follow You with all my heart. 57:39 Lord, help me to make the decisions that I know 57:44 that I need to make." 57:47 Heaven is not a place that any of us want to miss. 57:51 Hi, I'm Pastor Dave. 57:53 And this is my family. 57:55 My wonderful wife, Marquita, and my two beautiful daughters, 57:58 Melanie and Emily. 58:00 Thank you for joining us today. 58:02 We pray that you have been blessed by today's presentation. 58:06 If you would like to give a donation to keep this series 58:09 on the air, or purchase the Discover Prophecy series, 58:13 visit our website or contact us at... |
Revised 2020-01-08