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Misjudging Heaven
CS Lewis once said
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
He was making the point that each and every one of us desire something more than this world we live in will ever be able to offer us.
No matter how much money, who we are with, where we live, or what job we have...
The great theologian Kenny Chesney once sang:
Preacher told me last Sunday morning
Son, you better start living right
You need to quit the women and whiskey
And carrying on all night
Don't you wanna hear him call your name
When you're standing at the pearly gates
I told the preacher, "Yes I do"
But I hope they don't call today
I ain't ready
“Everybody Want to Go to Heaven”
Many of us may share that same sentiment.
The idea of heaven sounds much better than the alternative, but let’s just put it off as long as possible.
If we are honest...
Heaven just doesn’t sound all that good
Or we just don’t know much about heaven
What we do know about heaven is often driven by misconceptions and faulty teaching.
Heavenly Misconceptions
(ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN) We become angelic beings skipping around on clouds.
I saw “All Dogs…” when I was 7 or 8 and it framed my perspective of heaven for a long time.
First time I flew on an airplane I though “so this is what heaven will be like?”
Although it would nice for a bit, it would get pretty boring jumping around on clouds and lounging around all day.
In the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” the “angel” Clarence is helping George Bailey traverse life and if he does a good job he will EARN his wings.
I love that movie, but I can’t help scream at Clarence when I watch it “YOU HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THE GREATEST REWARD CLARENCE, WHO CARES ABOUT WINGS!!!”
The author of Hebrews spends the first 2 chapters talking about how much higher we are than the angels in God’s creation, yet here Clarence is in heaven trying to become a “full-fledged” angel.
God has a much more glorious vision for heaven than us becoming angels.
Heaven is an eternal church service.
A very common misunderstanding of Heaven within the church is that a perpetual church service where we sang praise and worship with the occasional hymn.
Heaven is presented as more of a perpetual church service where we sang praise and worship with the occasional hymn.
Heaven is presented as more of a perpetual church service where we sang praise and worship with the occasional hymn.
Even though I am sure the music in heaven is great, the thought of heaven being a church service does not get me too excited.
One of the common misconceptions about heaven that many of have is it’s connection to our world.
I want to be sensitive here because I know many people find comfort in thinking that our loved ones are around us or looking down on us.
Though there is some indication that loved ones in heaven do look down on us and are encouraging us in our faith journeys, the bible doesn’t say that our loved ones are with us or that they interact with us.
The biblical picture of heaven is not our loved one’s interacting with us on earth, but of our loved ones in a glorious place awaiting our arrival when we will be reunited in eternity.
The reality is, if our loved ones are in heaven right now the last place they would want to be is here with us, in body or in Spirit.
I hope that brings comfort and peace in your heart knowing that even though you miss them and long for their presence, they are at peace in the presence of God.
God has not been silent
When we think about heaven we are often imagining a place that is not talked about in scripture, but is a product of culture, folklore, and sentimentalism.
But God has not been quiet about heaven.
Heavenly Promise Land
It is a great story, but
The bible paints an incredible picture of Heaven that can spark our imagination to begin to picture the glorious place God has promised us.
Here are 5 words that reveal what our future HOME will be like.
1) RE- CREATION
rev 21 1-2
The book of Revelation was written by the apostle John late in the first century as is an apocalyptic letter describing the end times.
Lots of controversy, but the point is simple Jesus WINS!!
Chapter 21 tells of what will happen once Christ returns to make all things right.
The first picture John gives us of our future home is that it is a lot like the one we live in, just PERFECT...
We often think Heaven is some kind of unimaginable place that we could never describe.
But that is not the picture we get in the bible.
The picture Isaiah and John are painting is of a RE-CREATED earth, where all that is broken and stained by sin is restored to it’s original glory and goodness.
Let your imagination wonder:
Think of the most beautiful place you have ever been, imagine the beauty of that same place unstained by the brokenness of our world.
Think of a time when you had a blast hanging out with a group of people.
Laughing, enjoying food and fun with them.
Imagine that being a daily occurence, not marred or hindered by selfishness, pride, shame, guilt, envy, strife, or anything else that keeps us from true community.
God wants us to dwell and day dream about how glorious heaven will be.
The biggest reason it is so hard for us to picture heaven is because the EVIL ONE (Satan) has perpetuated the false images of heaven throughout our culture.
As long as he can keep us from thinking about heaven, or for us to have these lame pictures of heaven, he can keep us from getting excited about it and longing for the day when we get to be there.
The Intermediate State
QUESTION YOU MAY BE ASKING: What about those who have died and will die before Christ returns?
Though we don’t know in detail what the “Intermediate State” will be like, we do know a few things:
we will be with Christ in paradise...
Though we will be separated from our bodies, we will be with the Lord and that is much better.
It is a place to be desired, even if it is not the final resting place.
Randy Alcorn in “Heaven” gives the analogy of flying to a new home in California by way of Dallas.
If you are telling a friend about your new home, you won’t spend much time talking about Dallas.
In the same way, though it is a great place to be, our hearts long for our final home.
2) RE- UNION
I had the blessing of doing a funeral for a lady we affectionately called Ms. Lila.
I have been to a lot of funerals and have heard a lot of funeral sermons.
I led a bible study in her apartment complex for a couple of years and just a few months before she passed away she asked me a question about heaven.
A common statement, that is very much true, is “You will see them again one day, if you have trusted in Jesus for salvation.”
“Will Wendall (her deceased husband) know me when I get to heaven?”
It is true, if our loved one died knowing Christ and we also die knowing Christ we will be reunited when we get to heaven
What an awesome privilege it was to tell her that not only will Wendall know you when you get to heaven, but he will be SO excited to reunite you to Jesus, the one who created you.
I told everyone at her funeral, that the moment Ms. Lila breathed her last breath in this world, she was reunited with Wendall who couldn’t wait to introduce her to Jesus in person.
rev 21:3-
Who is it for you, a grandma, a child, a parent, or friend?
Oh what a day it will be when we are reunited with the loved ones that have gone before us.
But what about the ones that do not know Jesus?
Or what if you have never trusted Christ for salvation?
The hope of heavenly reunion hinges on faith in Christ, don’t delay.
The greatest reunion though is with our Lord and Savior
His dwelling place will be with us.
we will see his face and have his name tattooed on our foreheads.
we will see his face and have his name tattooed on our foreheads.
CONNECTION, not weird.
We will need no light because “the Lord God will be our light”
No more darkness
no more fear
no more lonilness
we will be complete in Him and with Him.
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