Dear Friends,
I recently began teaching a series on heaven at our Friday Morning Men’s
Fellowship at Chili’s. I was inspired by my friend and associate Barry
Morrow’s new book, Heaven Observed as well as John Eldredge’s
book, The Journey of Desire also about heaven. I was surprised to hear
from many of the men that they had never heard a series of sermons on heaven.
What’s wrong with this picture, I thought? I remembered Paul’s statement
in 1 Corinthians 15 about Jesus’ resurrection and thus our resurrection
to heaven: “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be
pitied more than all men.” (v.19) The truth is the fairy tales of living
happily ever after simply don’t come true on this side of heaven. Even
the most glorious life on earth is brief and ultimately trumped by death as
Barry points out in his book. But the end of our story is not this life but
eternal life in heaven with our Lord and loved ones and all who trust Christ
for salvation. As Eldredge says we must not believe the lie that all good things
must come to an end. No, for Christians the best is yet to come, by far. “No
eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared
for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) “Heaven is the
greatest good. Next to the idea of God, the idea of heaven is the greatest idea
that has ever entered into the heart of man, woman or child. It is certainly
one of the most powerfully joyous in the cosmology of practicing Christians,
who can affirm: heaven is destination and reward, succor and relief from earthly
trials. It is reunion with those we love, forever. It is our real home, our
permanent address, it’s our own true country. It is the New Jerusalem
and Paradise Regained, the community of the Saints and the eternal Eucharist;
everlasting Easter and a million Christmases. It is an end to death’s
sting; it is the eternal, ongoing, ever growing experience of God. It is the
ecstatic dream of St. John: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy.’” (Peter
Kreeft, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven…but Never
Dreamed of Asking)
Why is it so important to talk about heaven, to meditate on the glorious life
awaiting us? Simply because if we don’t believe in all that heaven means,
all of God’s promises for our faithful obedience, we will not live the
radical life of sacrificial love and service that our Lord Jesus modeled and
calls us to live. Our great and loving God did not wire us, His children, for
loss but reward, blessings and unspeakable joy. Yet the fullness of those blessings
and rewards do not come in this life even for the greatest saints. Noah, Abraham,
Moses, Samuel, David and all the great saints listed in Hebrews 11 “were
longing for a heavenly country”, “looking ahead to their reward”
and “were commended for their faith”, “yet none of them received
what had been promised” (vv. 10, 13, 16, 26 & 39) i.e., on this side
of heaven. And if we don’t believe there is a pay day some day, an eternal
reward that will bless us forever, we will do what Paul said we would do, we’ll
go for what the world says is valuable and highly esteemed (Luke 16:15) in this
life and suffer loss at the judgment seat of Christ. “If I fought wild
beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead
are not raised, LET US EAT AND DRINK FOR TOMORROW WE DIE.” (1 Corinthians
15:32) If the futility and emptiness of living life apart from Jesus Christ
doesn’t burst our fairy tale bubble then the judgment seat of Christ will
reveal its vanity. Only those things we do in Christ’s power and for His
glory will have any eternal value for us or for others. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15;
13: 1-3)
Over the next few months I will share with you some of the teachings I’m
giving at our men’s fellowship on heaven. The topics are:
IS THIS ALL THERE IS? A WISE OLD MAN, WHO HAD IT ALL, MONEY, SEX AND POWER,
BARES HIS EMPTY SOUL.
(I encourage you to read about this wise old man, King Solomon, in Ecclesiastes
who had it all but declared life is vain, empty and meaningless “under
the sun” (i.e., a temporal, self-centered life). Don’t miss his
conclusion in chapter 12:13-14)
“PAIN – GOD’S MEGAPHONE TO ROUSE A DEAF WORLD”. (C.S.
LEWIS) THE MESSAGE ABOUT HEAVEN THAT COMES THROUGH SUFFERING.
THE REALITY OF HEAVEN – EIGHT STRANDS OF EVIDENCE FROM BLAISE PASCAL.
THE CHARACTER OF HEAVEN. WHAT’S IT REALLY LIKE?
THE CHOICE OF HELL BY DEFAULT. A BIBLICAL VIEW OF THE REALITY OF HELL.
THE CHOICE OF HEAVEN. “WHAT DO YOU SEEK?” JESUS ASKS YOU AND ME.
(JOHN 1:37)
Paul concludes the great chapter on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how
He broke the power of sin, death, the grave and hell by exhorting us on how
to live in light of these truths about heaven:
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always
give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor
in the Lord is not in vain.”
(1 Corinthians 15:58)
Until He comes,
Len and Kristen