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Jesus is Our Hope in that He Will Bring Peace

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I recently listened to an audio book about Lincoln and in the end it talks about his impact. I found a similar account in a New York Times article. The Times quotes Tolstoy.

Tolstoy said:

Once while traveling in the Caucasus I happened to be the guest of a Caucasian chief of the Circassians, who, living far away from civilized life in the mountains, had but a fragmentary and childish comprehension of the world and its history. The fingers of civilization had never reached him nor his tribe, and all life beyond his native valleys was a dark mystery. Being a Mussulman he was naturally opposed to all ideas of progress and education. I was received with the usual Oriental hospitality and after our meal was asked by my host to tell him something of my life. Yielding to his request I began to tell him of my profession, of the development of our industries and inventions and of the schools. He listened to everything with indifference, but when I began to tell about the great statesmen and the great generals of the world he seemed at once to become very much interested. 

The conversation continued. Descriptions of the Czar. Napoleon. Frederick the Great. But the Circassian chief was clearly unhappy. Something was missing. 

‘…You have not told us a syllable about the greatest general and greatest ruler of the world. We want to know something about him. He was a hero. He spoke with a voice of thunder; he laughed like the sunrise and his deeds were strong as the rock and as sweet as the fragrance of roses. The angels appeared to his mother and predicted that the son whom she would conceive would become the greatest the stars had ever seen. He was so great that he even forgave the crimes of his greatest enemies and shook brotherly hands with those who had plotted against his life. His name was Lincoln and the country in which he lived is called America, which is so far away that if a youth should journey to reach it he would be an old man when he arrived. Tell us of that man.’ 

[Remember who is telling the story. Not some run-of-the-mill humdrum storyteller, but the supreme master of Russian literature. Indeed, the Circassian chief as quoted by Stackelberg sounds more like Tolstoy than how I imagine a Circassian chief might sound. Regardless. Tolstoy told him everything he knew about Lincoln. But the Circassian chief was not satisfied. He wanted something more. The story tells us that mere words are often not enough. He needed a photograph.]

I can hardly forget the great enthusiasm which they expressed in their wild thanks and desire to get a picture of the great American hero. I said that I probably could secure one from my friend in the nearest town, and this seemed to give them great pleasure…

One of the riders agreed to accompany me to the town and get the promised picture, which I was now bound to secure at any price. I was successful in getting a large photograph from my friend, and I handed it to the man with my greetings to his associates. It was interesting to witness the gravity of his face and the trembling of his hands when he received my present. He gazed for several minutes silently, like one in a reverent prayer; his eyes filled with tears. He was deeply touched and I asked him why he became so sad. After pondering my question for a few moments he replied: ‘I am sad because I feel sorry that he had to die by the hand of a villain. Don’t you find, judging from his picture, that his eyes are full of tears and that his lips are sad with a secret sorrow?

Abe Lincoln did a lot of good, but did he bring peace, I mean real peace? Will politics bring about peace? Will our next President bring peace? Who is the hope of the world?

We are beginning our Advent series titled, “Jesus is the Hope of the World.”

Today, I want to focus on Jesus bringing peace.

My theme: Jesus was prophesied as the hope of the world, who will bring peace.

Let’s read: Isaiah 2:1-4:

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.

3 Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.

  1. Jesus will bring peace.
    1. This passage was written some 700 years before Christ. This is a prophesy that still hasn’t been fulfilled.
    2. By the way, you can find, almost the exact same prophesy in Micah 4:1-3.
    3. I want to mainly focus on verse 4, but let me give some background.
    4. I stand here and say that Jesus is the hope of the world and you may be wondering, how is He the hope of the world.
    5. Listen, Jesus is the hope of the world and that He will bring peace.
    6. I know you may be thinking, “Why don’t we have peace yet, what is He waiting on?” I will tell you He is waiting for me to be saved. When peace comes judgment will also come. You can see 2 Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, cnot wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
    7. In this passage Isaiah is writing about a future day. Many think this is the Millennial Reign which you can read about in Revelation 20:2-7. This could be talking about a time after that.
    8. Either way, it says that the Mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest mountain. In that day and age it was a big deal for the mountain to be the highest.

The Weidner Chronicle declares that the city of Babylon should be elevated and exalted in all lands. In addition, Assyrian building inscriptions often talk about elevating the temple by restoring it and increasing its height. In Babylonian literature the Marduk Prophecy (from several centuries before Isaiah) announces the future elevation of Babylon with the temple doubled in height. That text also mentions returning the scattered ones (by which it means the statues of the gods that have been disenfranchised from their temples). It continues by describing a period of peace, justice and prosperity, including the dismantling of fortresses. This general language of city restoration and elevation is therefore familiar in the rhetoric of the ancient Near East.

  1. That imagery would be familiar to the people.
  2. The passage says that everyone will come to Jerusalem. God will teach, the Law of the Lord will go out.
  3. Then we get to verse 4: He will judge. He will settle disputes.
  4. They will beat their swords into plowshares.
  5. This means that instead of swords, you’ll need a plow.
  6. You won’t need to be prepared for battle or defense.
  7. Beat their spears into pruning hooks.
  8. Instead of spears for defense, you will need to farm.
  9. Jesus the hope of the world will bring peace.
  1. Let’s apply
    1. Who is your hope? Jesus is the hope of the world.
    2. Will a politician bring peace? No, the baby in Bethlehem will bring peace.
    3. Will a business leader bring peace? No only Jesus, the Messiah who did not have a home or business (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58).
    4. What if we could get the right economy, will that bring peace? No, Jesus’ economic policies were about self-sacrifice and giving and He will bring peace (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Luke 9:23; 17:33).
    5. Only Jesus will bring peace, He is the hope of the world.

Close:

In 1864, one of America’s great poets, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, wrote the poem which became the well-known carol, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.
When I first heard this song, I wondered, “Why does he suddenly shift from joy at hearing the Christmas bells into such deep despair?” It starts with:
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
Then he says:
And in despair I bowed my head:
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men!”
The question is clearly answered when we see two verses of the original that are not included in our hymn. In these verses Longfellow speaks of the horrors of the American Civil War that was tearing the country apart. In fact, his son had been seriously wounded in that conflict not long before he wrote the song. (The death of Longfellow’s wife two years earlier may have contributed to his mood too.) Listen to what they say:
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearthstones of a continent
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
Little wonder he is tempted to despair. And yet he concludes with the resounding affirmation, “God is not dead, nor does he sleep!” Through the Savior whose birth the angels celebrated, God will accomplish what he has promised.

Jesus will bring peace.

Do you know Christ?

Luke 9:23

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

 

c 1 Tim 2:4; Rev 2:21

Are we thankful for the church?

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Introduction:

A father and his son were seated at the dining room table, while the mother was finishing the final preparations on the family’s dinner. While the father and son were seated, the father asked the son if he would say the prayer for the meal. The youngster nodded his head, and said that he would pray. The mother placed the last of the meal on the table, and sat down. The boy looked around the table at the food for a moment, and began to pray. He said, “God, I’m not sure what it is. But thanks anyway. And I’ll still eat it.”

C.S. Lewis said:

“We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good; if bad, because it works in us patience, humility, contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.” 

We are continuing our short series on being thankful.

Today, I wish to talk about the church family.

My theme is: We are thankful for our church family.

Let’s read Ephesians 1:16:

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

  1. Is the church worth being thankful for?
    1. In this passage Paul is thankful for their faith.
    2. This is one long sentence in the Greek. Verses 3-14 are a sentence and verses 15-23 are one sentence. If we look at verse 15 it says: For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people…
    3. So, Paul is not just giving thanks for them in general, he is giving thanks for their faith and their love for all the people. He is giving thanks that they live the Christian faith.
    4. I’ll tell you it is encouraging to serve a church that cares about people.
    5. I have to be thankful in the same way here at First Baptist.
    6. I am thankful for your commitment to serve the Alliance Community in Alliance Mission Encounter.
    7. First Baptist has many that I can call at the drop of a hat and they are ready to help people in need.
    8. I remember a few years ago I heard that someone who was near ninety years old was cutting up a tree that fell in a storm. I called two of you and you took care of it that very day.
    9. A few weeks ago I heard of someone who needed help moving things and two of you helped the next day.
    10. How many times have we helped people move.
    11. You have been on the receiving end and the giving end.
    12. I give thanks for the church family.
    13. Do you give thanks for the church family?
    14. In some countries the church family are the only family someone has:
      1. Tariku Fufa was thirteen years old when he decided to follow Jesus. Upon hearing the news, his father gave him an ultimatum: “Tariku, I give you a choice between Jesus and family.” When the boy remained firm in his commitment to Christ, his father beat him, cut his face with a knife, and threw him out into the streets of Begi, Ethiopia, to fend for himself. Without his medication, Tariku nearly died from an asthma attack, but felt God’s assurance that He had something else in store for this young man.[1]
      2. When this happens the church steps in and fill the void, being the family.
    15. It was Paul’s practice to give thanks for the church:

Romans 1:8:

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 

1 Cor. 1:4:

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

Phil. 1:3:

I thank my God every time I remember you.

Col. 1:3:

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you…

1 Thess. 1:2:

We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.

 

2 Thess. 1:3:

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,[a] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.

 

  1. Are we thankful for the church?
  2. Are we thankful in general?
    1. Fable of the

Porcupine
It was the coldest winter ever.  Many animals died because of the cold.

The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and
Protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their
Companions or disappear from the Earth.

Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close
Relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.


The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person’s good qualities.

The moral of the story is:

Just learn to live with the Pricks in your life!

 

  1. I know the church has problems. We have a fallen nature so we have problems. We get stung. I realize that, but in the end I believe the church is better off with you than without you. I believe you are better off with the church than without the church.

Close:

A large family sat around the breakfast table one morning. As the custom, the father returned thanks, blessing God for the food. Immediately after, however, as was his bad habit, he began to grumble about hard times, the poor quality of the food he was forced to eat, the way it was cooked, and much more.
His little daughter interrupted him, “Dad, do you suppose God heard what you said a little while ago when you were giving thanks?”
“Certainly,” the father replied with the confident air of an instructor.
“And did he hear what you said about the bacon and the coffee?”
“Of course,” replied the father with a note of caution in his voice.”
Then his daughter asked, “Dad, which did God believe?”

 

WHEN ONE IS THREATENED

A Mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. “What food might this contain?” The mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a Mouse-Trap Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”

The Chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”

The Mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The Pig sympathized, but said, I am very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be Assured you are in my Prayers.”

The Mouse turned to the Cow and said, “there is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The Cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse, I am sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house – like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The Farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake was furious and bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a severe fever.

Everyone knows that you treat a fever with a fresh chicken soup. So, the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and relatives came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The Farmer’s Wife did not get well and she died. So many people came to the funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. And, Said, “I warned them about the mouse trap but they did not take my warning into account…”

I believe thankfulness changes our perspective. When we are thankful for the church we realize how important the church is. I ask that you are thankful.

In your bulletin we have a First Baptist Church thank you card. I encourage you this week to write in that card and send it to someone this week. It doesn’t have to be someone from this church, it could be a friend or family member, but send it to someone. Thank someone. You don’t have to thank them for doing something for you, just thank them for being a friend. Wouldn’t it be neat if we all received cards this week?

Do you know Christ?

Luke 9:23

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation

[1] http://www.todayintheword.org/titw_devotion.aspx

Give thanks for Salvation

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Intro:

How do you respond to the devil’s attacks?

Martin Luther said the devil came to him every night “to dispute with him.” Luther said he learned two things would chase the devil away. One was to say, “Satan, I am baptized. I have left your wilderness. You have no more jurisdiction.”

The other way — and I’m not sure how else to say this — was to pass gas. Luther believed that because the devil was proud and hated mockery, passing gas in his face was a way of mocking him and making Satan flee. I kid you not.  

Baptism follows salvation and to Martin Luther he was clinging to his salvation when the devil attacked him. Baptism sealed the deal for Luther. Baptism tangibly represents the intangible.

Where would you be without Jesus? What would your life like without Jesus?

Does your salvation give you hope for eternity?

What do you think about at funerals? Does your salvation give you hope when you think about death?

Does your salvation give you answers?

I have a thank-you card in my hand, do any of you send thank-you cards? Do any of you receive thank-you cards? Do any of you say thank-you?

Now, what are you thankful for? Food, clothing, shelter, children, family, friends, work, retirement, money, our country, etc.

When you thank God, do you thank Him for your salvation?

Theme:

Today we will look at Colossians 1:12-14 and talk about thankfulness for salvation. 

Read with me Colossians 1:12-14:

and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

  1. In Col. 1:12-13 we see God’s great rescue mission.
    1. I know verse 12 starts midsentence. Paul is in the middle of one long sentence. Paul was the master of long sentence. This sentence starts in verse 9 and is an extended sentence with 218 words. So, verses 9-20 are one long sentence in the Greek.
    2. This is a prayer that Paul is praying.
    3. These three verses are about giving thanks to God for our salvation.
    4. The NIV says “Joyful” thanks.
    5. God has qualified us, you, to share in the inheritance.
    6. Who qualified you? God qualified you. Only Jesus. Ephesians 2:8-10 says that we are saved by grace.
    7. We give thanks for gifts and our salvation is a free gift.
    8. We don’t have to give thanks for what we earn. We give thanks for gifts.
    9. Psalm 51:12 says to restore to me the “joy” of your salvation. Do you ever ask God for that restored joy? I think that joy would cause us to be thankful.
    10. We have an inheritance in Christ. We are considered sons and daughters of God. We are family. (Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:5) We have an inheritance in Heaven.
    11. We are part of the Light, as opposed to darkness which was a common contrast which Paul would use.
    12. Our salvation was God’s great rescue mission.
    13. Verse 13 says that God rescued us from darkness.
    14. Think about a rescue. This makes me think of a good action movie going to rescue someone.
    15. In the Patriot Mel Gibson’ character rescued prisoners by outwitting the British
    16. Maybe show clip
    17. God outwitted the devil and rescued us.
    18. We aren’t simply rescued from darkness and left wondering. No, we are transferred to the Kingdom of Jesus.
    19. Verse 14 says that He redeemed us and this means that He bought us, just like you buy a slave.
    20. Verse 14 says that we also are forgiven.
    21. So, ae you thankful for your salvation?
    22. John Macarthur shares:
    23. First Chronicles 16:23, Psalm 96:2says, “Proclaim the good tidings of His salvation day to day. Way back in 1 Chronicles, way back in the Psalms, people were proclaiming on a daily basis the good news of the salvation of God. That has always been the greatest preoccupation of the people of God, to praise Him for salvation. Revelation 7, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb,” that’s heaven. All the beings in heaven are praising God and the Lamb for salvation.
    24. So we can say it is the theme of the Holy Spirit’s revelation…the theme of the Holy Spirit’s revelation. I will simplify the Bible for you. The main theme in the Bible is salvation, right? That’s the theme of the Bible. It goes from corruption to salvation, from the Fall to eternal glory. The theme of the Bible is salvation and so it is the theme of the Holy Spirit’s inspiration. Everything that the prophets in the Old Testament knew about salvation was given to them by the Holy Spirit. They…verse 11 says that they were prophesying of the grace that would come because the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating, was communicating, predicting the sufferings of Christ and the glories that followed. The Holy Spirit was revealing the sufferings of Christ in Psalm 22, Psalm 69, Isaiah 52, Isaiah 53, Daniel 9, Zechariah 12, Zechariah 13. The Holy Spirit was revealing all of this, the sufferings, death, trial, beating, crucifixion and the glories to follow. The Holy Spirit revealed truth about the resurrection, the ascension, the enthronement. The resurrection, obviously, implied everywhere that the Messiah is seen reigning because if He dies, He has to rise to reign. The resurrection in Psalm 16, the resurrection in Psalm 22, the resurrection in Psalm 69, the resurrection, exaltation of Christ, Isaiah 9, Isaiah 53, the end of the chapter, Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Zechariah 2, Zechariah 14. They were prophesying about His suffering and about His glory because that was the message of the Holy Spirit. Those two things were the theme of Old Testament prophecy.
    25. Are we thankful?

Conclusion:

I have a long rope up here. This rope represents time. Our life is just a small part of time. James says just a vapor in James 4:14. But eternity is forever. But we only usually focus on our life now, not on eternity. How do we find out about eternity? We find out about eternity through the Bible. The Bible teaches us about our salvation which is effective for all eternity.

Are we thankful?

In your bulletin there is space for you to write a thank-you prayer to God. Write this out as if you are writing a thank you card to God. You are thanking Him for your salvation.

Do you know Christ?

Luke 9:23

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

 

We are thankful for God’s Love (Psalm 136)

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There was a little girl walking beside her mother in a pouring rain and loud thunderstorm. Every time the lightning flashed, her mother noticed she turned and smiled. They’d walk a little further, then lightning, and she’d turn and smile. The mother finally said, “Sweetheart, what’s going on? Why do you always turn and smile after the flash of lightning?”

“Well,” she said, “Since God is taking my picture, I want to be sure and smile for Him.”

God Is good [wait for them to respond with “All the time.”]

God Is good [wait for them to respond with “All the time.”]

God Is good [wait for them to respond with “All the time.”]

Do we believe that? Do we believe that God is good? Do we believe that God is love?

Are we thankful?

I knew of someone who was a missionary for a long time, for decades actually, yet there was no word for love in the language of the group he was working with. How do we share the gospel without a word for love?

Have you ever heard someone say, “I wouldn’t believe in a god who…” You fill in the blank. But think about the logic of that. How can we determine who God is? Last I checked I was limited by space and time. I cannot walk through a wall. I cannot go into outer space. I cannot go outside in the cold without a coat. I cannot even go without sleep that long. Can I determine other things to believe or not believe in? Suppose it was cold outside, suppose it was negative twenty-five below zero, can I say, I don’t believe in a temperature that is cold? Whether I believe in it or not, it is what it is. If it is cold, it is cold and it will sting. I hate being sick, I especially hate vomit sicknesses. I think I have a phobia of vomiting. Can I say, “I wouldn’t believe in a virus that makes me vomit?” I can say what I want, but I still may get sick. I can’t pick and choose reality. In like manner, God is who God is and I can’t change that. I can choose to not believe, but that does not change God’s existence. Really, the galaxy is big, the universe is big, so whoever created all that must be great. I believe God created it all and He is great and awesome and powerful, but I also believe God is love. So, since I cannot choose who God is, I am thankful that God is love. I am thankful for God’s love.

I am beginning a short sermon series on thankfulness.

My theme today is: Be thankful for God’s love.

Let’s start with a passage, Psalm 136. Let’s read it responsively. I want you to respond with the part: “His Love Endures Forever.” We did it a few weeks ago, let’s do it again.

Psalm 136

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.

13 to him who divided the Red Sea[a] asunder
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.

16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.

17 to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.

23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

  1. So, be thankful that God is love.
    1. I want to focus on thankfulness, but why? Why are we to be thankful? We are to be thankful because God loves us.
    2. It is hard to be thankful when you have never known anything different. I have never known a God who is not loving and I don’t think you have either.
    3. I am more thankful for my health after being sick.
    4. I would be more grateful for food, if I really went hungry.
    5. Maybe, if you came from a different religious tradition where God was not love, then you would be really grateful committing to Christianity. Ephesians 2:8-9, we are saved by grace. God is love.
    6. God’s love never ends.
    7. The Bible teaches in 1 John 4:19 that we love God because He first loved us and gave Himself for us.
    8. Think about a minute: yes, there is evil in this world and some doubt God because of that, but understand that humans cause most of the evil. Also, if you read the rest of the Bible we can read that God is going to fix it. Also, if you read the beginning of the Bible we can find out that evil is from our own free will. Actually, once again, we cause most of the evil.
    9. Continue thinking, knowing that the Bible teaches that God is omnipotent, omniscience and omnipresent if He was not love what would things be like? What could they be like? God could pick on all of us, all the time. This could go on for eternity.
    10. Right now, we face hardship, but knowing that God is love means that He will use it for the good and we know there is eternity without hardship and suffering.
    11. God is love, we see the Scripting encouraging us to be thankful.
  2. Applications
    1. Be encouraged. When bad things happen, set your minds on things above (Col. 3), set your mind on God’s love. Be encouraged that God is not making us earn our way to Heaven. Be encouraged that God is not making us earn His love.
    2. Be thankful: think about all that God provides. Go home and make a list: food, clothing, shelter, SALVATION
    3. Share: Don’t keep God’s love to yourself.

Swindoll shares:

Shortly after World War II came to a close, Europe began picking up the pieces. Much of the old country had been ravaged by war and was in ruins. Perhaps the saddest sight of all was that of little orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities.

Early one chilly morning an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks in London. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little lad with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside, the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out, and walked quietly over to where the little fellow was standing. Through the steamed-up window, he could see the mouth-watering morsels being pulled from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan as he watched the cook place them onto the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully.

The soldier’s heart went out to the nameless orphan as he stood beside him.

“Son . . . would you like some of those?”
The boy was startled, “Oh, yeah . . . I would!”

The American stepped inside and bought a dozen, put them in a bag, and walked back to where the lad was standing in the foggy cold of the London morning. The soldier smiled, held out the bag, and said simply: “Here you are.” As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat.

He looked back and heard the child ask quietly: “Mister . . . are you God?”

We are never more like God than when we give. “God so loved the world, that He gave” (John 3:16).

Let me encourage you, in spite of the high cost of giving and the small number of servant-models you may see around you, to determine to be different. God tells us He “loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7), and He promises us that the one “who is generous will be blessed” (Proverbs 22:9). Let’s believe Him!

Deep down inside most Christians I know is a deep-seated desire to release instead of keep . . . to give instead of grab. It is worth whatever it takes to let that start happening. Moms, dads, singles, kids, teachers, preachers, businessmen, professionals, blue-collar workers, students—it is worth it!

Become a giver . . . and watch God open the hearts of others to Himself. We are never more godlike than when we give.[1]

 

Close:

Let’s read Phil. 2:5-11:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

 

God’s love is most evident in Jesus dying on the cross for us.

 

We remember Jesus’ sacrifice as we take communion.

 

Let’s pray, sing and then take communion:

Pray

The Power of Your Love

Lord’s Prayer with Communion

Communion

[1] Excerpted from Improving Your Serve: The Art of Unselfish Living, Copyright © 1981 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

Heaven,let the picture develop 

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At a Wednesday evening church meeting a very wealthy man rose to give his testimony.       “I’m a millionaire,” he said, “and I attribute it all to the rich blessings of God in my life. I can still remember the turning point in my faith, like it was yesterday:

      I had just earned my first dollar and I went to a church meeting that night. The speaker was a missionary who told about his work. I knew that I only had a dollar bill and had to either give it all to God’s work or nothing at all. So at that moment I decided to give my whole dollar to God. I believe that God blessed that decision, and that is why I am a rich man today.” 

             As he finished it was clear that everyone had been moved by this man’s story. But, as he took his seat, a little old lady sitting in the same pew leaned over and said: “Wonderful story! I dare you to do it again!”

The Bible does teach about storing up treasurers in Heaven (Matthew 6:20), so if we are storing our treasurers there, what is it like?

I remember in high school taking a photography class and learning to develop film. It was really fun. Remember the old “one step” cameras? We would take the picture and then watch as it developed. Today, I wish to develop the picture of Heaven.

My theme today is: Heaven is for real. As you look forward to Heaven, use your imagination, grounded with the Bible.

Let’s read Rev. 21:1-4:

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, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

 Let’s review:

We have talked about:

1) Heaven is for real.

a. The Bible talks about Heaven in many places.

b. Isaiah 65; John 14:1-6 as well as Revelation chapters 21-22 are all about Heaven.

2) Present Heaven versus future Heaven

a. We talked about the Heaven we enter right away and the Heaven for all eternity.

b. It is encouraging that there is no soul sleep. We go straight to Heaven when we die. (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:21)

c. We can read about this in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) as well as Rev. 6:9-11.

3) Will we have homes in Heaven?

a. In John 14:1-6 as well as Isaiah 65:17-23 we read about homes in Heaven.

b. But we read about more than homes in Heaven, we read about whole estates.

c. We read about farms and orchards and land and much more.

d. In Revelation chapters 21-22 we read about a city and a garden.

4) Will Time exist in Heaven?

a. We know that we will not be God, only God is God.

b. There are many references to time in Heaven.

5) Will Heaven be boring?

a. Remember that we will have resurrected bodies (see 1 Cor. 15)

b. We will have purpose.

c. We will have jobs and hobbies; Heaven will not be boring.

6) Will we know everything in Heaven?

a. It seems that we will not know everything.

b. Only God is omniscient.

c. We talked about 1 Cor. 13:8-13 and knowledge. It seems that the gift of knowledge will no longer be needed. This is more about a spiritual gift having to do with knowledge. The spiritual gifts will no longer be needed.

d. If we knew everything, maybe Heaven would be boring, but we won’t.

e. I was at the Turnaround Pastors’ program a few years ago when one of the leaders suggested that I likely have the spiritual gift of knowledge. For me knowledge is like a drug. To me, it is addictive. I get a thrill out of studying and learning new things. It is as if something clicks in my brain when I learn new things.

f. Is seems evident that we will continue to learn.

7) Do dogs and animals go to Heaven?

a. We do see descriptions of animals in Heaven and Psalm 104:30 references animals being restored.

Now, take a moment and imagine Heaven. There is nothing wrong with that. In chapter 2 of Randy Alcorn’s book titled, “Heaven” he writes about imagination. We must be careful of thinking that Heaven will be whatever you imagine it to be, but we can use our imagination. God loves us and does want to lavish blessings upon us in all of eternity.

Randy Alcorn writes:

We cannot anticipate or desire what we cannot imagine. That’s why, I believe, God has given us glimpses of Heaven in the Bible— to fire up our imagination and kindle a desire for Heaven in our hearts. And that’s why Satan will always discourage our imagination— or misdirect it to ethereal notions that violate Scripture. As long as the resurrected universe remains either undesirable or unimaginable, Satan succeeds in sabotaging our love for Heaven.

 As C. S. Lewis said,

“While reason is the natural organ of truth, imagination is the organ of meaning.” In the words of Francis Schaeffer, “The Christian is the really free man— he is free to have imagination. This too is our heritage. The Christian is the one whose imagination should fly beyond the stars.”

Schaeffer always started with God’s revealed truth. But he exhorted us to let that truth fuel our imagination. Imagination should not fly away from the truth but fly upon the truth.

We have looked at Scripture, now let’s imagine:

 Ask the following as questions of the congregation:

1) What is your dream house? Do you want to live on a farm or in a city?

2) What is your dream job? We will work in Heaven?

3) What is your favorite hobby? If you could do anything in the world what would it be? Golf? Motorcycle riding? Running? Fishing? Hunting? Woodworking? Cooking? Bird watching?

4) What are your interests? History? Geography? Sports? News? Politics? Science? Philosophy? Art? Music?

5) What is the most beautiful things or place you have ever seen?

6) Other thoughts on Heaven?

Alcorn continues:

Schaeffer always started with God’s revealed truth. But he exhorted us to let that truth fuel our imagination. Imagination should not fly away from the truth but fly upon the truth. If you’re a Christian suffering with great pains and losses, Jesus says, “Be of good cheer” (John 16: 33, NKJV). The new house is nearly ready for you. Moving day is coming. The dark winter is about to be magically transformed into spring. One day soon you will be home— for the first time. Until then, I encourage you to meditate on the Bible’s truths about Heaven. May your imagination soar and your heart rejoice.

 I hope you can now picture Heaven, at least a little better.

 Do you know Christ?

Luke 9:23

 God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)
Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

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Will we learn in Heaven?

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Today we talk about learning so let’s start with fun:

What is a math teacher’s favorite sum?
Summer!

Teachers who take class attendance are absent-minded.

*Teacher: ‘Craig, you know you can’t sleep in my class.’
Craig: ‘I know. But maybe if you were just a little quieter, I could.’

*Stressing the importance of a good vocabulary, the teacher told her young charges, “Use a word ten times, and it shall be yours for life.” From somewhere in the back of the room, came a small male voice chanting, “Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda.”

*Pupil: I don’t think I deserved zero on this test!
Teacher: I agree, but that’s the lowest mark I could give you! 

*What do you call a teacher without students?
Broke…oh wait, that’s a regular teacher

*Teacher: You copied from Fred’s exam paper didn’t you ?
Pupil: How did you know ?
Teacher: Fred’s paper says “I don’t know” and you have put “Me, neither”!

*The little boy wasn’t getting good marks in school. One day he made the teacher quite surprised. He tapped her on the shoulder and said …”I don’t want to scare you, but my daddy says if I don’t get better grades, somebody is going to get a spanking.”

Physics Teacher: “Isaac Newton was sitting under a tree when an apple fell on his head and he discovered gravity. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Student: “Yes sir, if he had been sitting in class looking at books like us, he wouldn’t have discovered anything.”

How long are we supposed to learn?

We learn all of our lives, but do we learn in Heaven or do we know everything?

Let’s read: 1 Cor. 13:8-13:

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

My Theme: Be encouraged we will continue learning in Heaven because we will continue having new things to learn. Also, our learning will not impair our ability to love.

  1. We will not be omniscient.
    1. As we talk about this idea we must understand that in Heaven we do not become God.
    2. Only God is omniscient. Omniscient means to know everything.
    3. So, let’s take an excursus into the idea of love and 1 Cor. 13. In 1 Cor. 13:8 we read about knowledge being done away with. What this means is that the spiritual gift of knowledge or “Word of knowledge” will be done away with. Why do we need the spiritual gift when we are with Jesus in reality? Also, we must understand that the Corinthians elevated certain spiritual gifts above others. They liked the showy gifts. They liked tongues as it was a showy gift, they must have liked knowledge as it was a showy gift. I believe we still struggle with this today. I like the showy gifts as well. But Paul is saying they go away in Heaven, at least in the sense as being spiritual gifts.
    4. We can’t take this passage to mean that in Heaven we know everything. What we can say is that still in Heaven love remains.
    5. Love is most important. Love carries on for all eternity. The spiritual gifts do not need to continue in Heaven, but love will always continue.
    6. Paul is NOT talking about natural human love. He is talking about a love that only God can give. This is love that a human being can only express when he or she has been touched by God’s grace and enabled by God’s Spirit.
    7. Love in this special way will continue in Heaven.
    8. I like what the Life Application Study Bible says:
      1. When Paul wrote of knowing “everything completely, just as God now knows me completely,” he was referring to when we must see Christ face to face. God gives believers spiritual gifts for their lives on earth in order to build up, serve, and strengthen fellow Christians. The spiritual gifts are for the church. In eternity, we will be made perfect and complete and will be in the very presence of God. We will no longer need the spiritual gifts, so they will come to an end. Then, we will have a full understanding and appreciation for one another as unique expressions of God’s infinite creativity. We will use our differences as a reason to praise God! Based on that perspective, let us treat each other with the same love and unity that we will one day share.[1]
    9. Of course this may make us think about what the spiritual gift of knowledge is. I like what one wrote: The spiritual gift of knowledge is also known as the “word of knowledge” or “utterance of knowledge.”  The Greek word for this gift is Gnosis and it simply means knowledge and understanding.  The Scriptural emphasis in 1 Corinthians 12:8is on the ability to speak this knowledge to others in a given situation.  In the opening passages of 1 Corinthians, Paul spoke of knowledge and recognized that the highest form of knowledge among men is the Gospel of Jesus Christ (i.e. the testimony about Christ, cf. 1 Corinthians 1:4-7).  What we can conclude then is the gift of knowledge is an understanding of the things in this world and in our lives that is founded in the Gospel and rooted in the Scriptures.  This gift is closely related to the gift of wisdom which is alluded to by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.
    10. The Holy Spirit gives this spiritual gift to some believers to bring about understanding and to inform the church or individual believers.  The person with this gift is usually well-versed in the Scriptures and often has much committed to memory.  They can retain the truth and communicate it effectively at the appropriate times.  The gift of knowledge allows a believer to relate the Scriptures, and particularly the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to all aspects of life in this world.  They can see how it connects to every situation and circumstance and how the reality and truth of the Gospel is to inform every decision a Christian makes.[2]
    11. There is more we could say about this, but let’s talk about Heaven.
    12. So, in Heaven we will still learn. We simply will NOT need a spiritual gift. Additionally, as we look at verse 12 Paul writes about Heaven like a mirror. Corinth was known for their Corinthian bronze mirrors but even the best mirrors were not a good reflection. Then Paul says we will know fully.
    13. Randy Alcorn gets into great detail writing: The apostle Paul wrote: “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1   Corinthians 13: 12, emphasis added). The italicized words are based on two different Greek words: ginosko and epiginosko. The prefix epi intensifies the word to mean “to really know” or “to know extensively.” However, when the word is used of humans, it never means absolute knowledge.[3]
    14. I have to agree. We can look at other scriptures which talk of learning in Heaven.
  2. We will still learn
    1. Learning is not from sin. Sin and our fallen world may make it difficult to learn. Maybe our minds will work faster in Heaven, but there will likely still be a learning process.
    2. 1 Peter 1:12 shows Angels don’t know everything and they long to know more.
    3. Ephesians 2:6-7 indicates that God will show us more knowledge in Heaven: And God raised us up with Christand seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
    4. Think of how much we will have to learn being in the New Jerusalem with the new Garden of Eden and dwelling with God.
    5. Think of how much we can have to learn being with the prophets of the Old Testament.
    6. Think of how much we will have to learn being with your great great-great-grandfather and grandmother.
    7. Think of how much we can learn about each other when we do not have sin in the way impairing our thinking.
    8. Without learning it could be quite boring for us as we were created to have purpose and learning and purpose go together.
    9. Imagine studying history next to a historian or the people themselves. I love Revolutionary War history, imagine studying while talking to George Washington, or John Adams, or Patrick Henry. Imagine studying physics with Einstein or Isaac Newton. Imagine studying music with Bach.
    10. Or maybe you love to hunt or fish or play sports, I know there will be new techniques to learn.
    11. Maybe you love old cars or machines, I know there would be more to study.
    12. The Scriptures talk about books in Heaven as well as scrolls and so it seems that they will remain.
    13. I do come back to the beginning Most of all love always remains. We can learn without needing a spiritual gift. We can learn and love at the same time.

Close:

Be encouraged we will continue learning in Heaven because we will continue having new things to learn. Also, our learning will not impair our ability to love.

Martin Luther said, “If God had all the answers in his right hand, and the struggle to reach those answers in his left, I would choose God’s left hand.” Why? Because it’s not only truth we want, it’s also the pleasure of learning the truth.

We continue painting a picture of Heaven. Next week we complete the picture.

Do you know Christ?

Luke 9:23

 

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

 

 

 

[1] Tyndale House Publishers (2011-08-01). Life Application Study Bible NLT (LASB: Full Size) (Kindle Locations 154921-154926). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[2] http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/spiritual-gift-of-knowledge

[3] Alcorn, Randy (2011-12-08). Heaven (Alcorn, Randy) (Kindle Locations 5951-5955). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Will be have time in Heaven?

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Intro:

Sometimes I get up to preach and I bet you look at your clock. We don’t have a clock in the sanctuary, but I can assure you I am also mindful of the time I preach. Before he was called as their pastor John MacArthur filled the pulpit at the church he currently serves. He preached something like an hour and a half that Sunday, or close to it. He thought he wouldn’t be invited back. The next Sunday he was invited back and he noticed a big clock on the back wall had been added. He has been there some 47 years, since 1969 and still preaches about an hour. You can hear his sermons on the radio or the computer called “Grace to You.” I know I have preached long, but never that long.

We are very mindful of the time; I know I am. I remember looking at my watch when I was at the orthodontist and they asked if I had somewhere to be. I was in seventh or eighth grade. I had nowhere to be. I began regularly wearing a watch when I was in 1st grade. My parents and teachers thought it was great that I was very good at telling the time and watching the time. Whether it was good or not, I don’t know, what I do know is I probably became obsessive about time. I am very detail oriented. I still watch the time, all the time. I still plan according to time, a lot. I have this mental plan, based off of the time, in my head.

So, when we think about Heaven, do you think there will be time? Can you imagine existence without time? From birth we are limited by time. Is time evil? Is time part of our existence because of sin?

Let’s talk more about Heaven and time.

My theme:

There will be time in Heaven but we will not be limited by it.

  1. Whether encouraging or discouraging, there will be time in Heaven.
    1. I don’t know whether you hate time or not. If you hate time, don’t be discouraged yet. If you like time, then maybe this is encouraging.
    2. Think about this, without time:
      1. We can’t cook, right?
      2. We can’t play sports because there is time.
  • We can’t play music because we must keep notes, right?
  1. There are other things that we need time for such as planting and harvesting and even assignments that have a due date. How many of us are procrastinators?
  1. It appears from certain passages that there will be time in Heaven. Let’s look at a few:
    1. Heaven’s inhabitants track with events happening in time, right down to rejoicing the moment a sinner on Earth repents (Luke 15: 7).
    2. Martyrs in Heaven are told to “wait a little longer” when they ask “how long” before Christ will judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge the martyrs’ blood (Revelation 6: 10-11). Those in Heaven couldn’t ask “how long” or be told “wait a little longer” unless time passes in Heaven.
    3. Paul spoke of Heaven in terms of “the coming ages” (Ephesians 2: 7). He speaks not just of a future age but of ages (plural).
    4. God’s people in Heaven “serve him day and night in his temple” (Revelation 7: 15).
    5. The tree of life on the New Earth will be “yielding its fruit every month” (Revelation 22: 2). There are days and months both in the present and eternal Heaven.
    6. God says, “The new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure   before me.  .  .  . From one New Moon to another and from one   Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me” (Isaiah 66: 22-23). New Moons and Sabbaths require moon, sun, and time.
    7. God said, “Summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Genesis   8: 22). This wasn’t the result of the Curse; it was God’s original design.
    8. We’re told that “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8: 1).
    9. The book of Revelation shows the present Heaven’s inhabitants operating within time. The descriptions of worship include successive actions, such as falling down at God’s throne and casting crowns before   him (Revelation 4: 10). There’s a sequence of events; things occur   one after another, not all at once.
    10. The inhabitants of Heaven sing (Revelation 5: 9-12). Music in Heaven requires time. Meter, tempo, and rests are all essential components of music, and each is time-related. Certain notes are held longer than others. Songs have a beginning, middle, and end. That means they take place in time.[1]
  2. Some think we won’t have time and they think we won’t have time because God does not have time, but remember we will not become God in Heaven.
  • God created time in Genesis 1:1, long before sin entered the world.
  1. Be encouraged we will not be limited by time in Heaven.
    1. The discouraging thing now is that we are limited by time.
    2. Right now we have a certain amount of time for rest and a certain amount of time for play and a certain amount of time for work.
    3. We are watching the clock because we want to get our work done in time to play or spend with family before we must sleep.
    4. Honestly, there are many days, okay, almost every day that I look forward to my girl’s bedtime. They can be exhausting, they are exhausting. At the same time, I try to get home before their bedtime to spend time with them.
    5. We are also limited by death. Eventually, we all die. That is another limitation of time.
    6. In Heaven, we won’t have the limitation of death. Death shall be no more (Rev. 21:4).
    7. In Heaven, we will work and not grow weary. Working grew tiresome after sin (Genesis 3:19).
    8. Imagine, not having to think about being tired when we work. If you like cutting down trees you can do that as long as you want without being tired. We will have new bodies.
    9. Imagine having the benefits of time without the weaknesses. Imagine having the ability to MEASURE time, but not feel the negative effects of time?

So, in Heaven, we will have time without the limitations of time.

Rejoice, hallelujah, heaven will be beyond your greatest imaginations.

I have been watching time closely since first grace. But I have had the effects of time on my life for my whole life. In fact, sometimes, in the right lighting, you may notice my gray hair.

I have been painting a picture of Heaven. I hope your picture of Heaven is getting more focused.

Do you know Christ?

Luke 9:23

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

[1] Alcorn, Randy (2011-12-08). Heaven (Alcorn, Randy) (Kindle Locations 5042-5043). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Heaven will be home

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Introduction:

Mr. Johnson, a businessman from Wisconsin, went on a business trip to Louisiana. He immediately sent an e-mail back to his wife, Jean. Unfortunately, he mistyped a letter and the e-mail ended up going to a Mrs. Joan Johnson, the wife of a preacher who just passed away.

 The preacher’s wife took one look at the e-mail and promptly fainted. When she was finally revived, she nervously pointed to the message, which read: “Arrived safely, but it sure is hot down here!”

Let’s continue talking about Heaven. Let’s talk about home.

Let’s think some random thoughts about home…

What is your dream home? Think about it for a minute. I have seen these shows on television where they show celebrity estates and they are absolutely huge. I have seen shows where they fix up homes. Mercedes actually likes the show Fixer-Upper which is about a couple who fix old homes and dilapidated homes for people. Most of us can probably think of the way homes have changed over the years. I grew up in a two story house with four bedrooms. I recently saw pictures of that house online and it has totally changed. The new owners have made the kitchen, dining room and living room almost like one big room. The fireplace has changed, everything has changed. It doesn’t seem like home to me anymore. What makes something home? Until I have five years old we lived in an old house outside of downtown Dayton. The house had beautiful woodwork and the rooms were so big, I was also so little, so they even appeared bigger! We had an incinerator in the basement. I remember watching my dad burn stuff in it and as a young child it was so cool! We had a front porch and could watch thunderstorms. It was a nice home, but if I went back to that house it would no longer be home to me. In fact, it has changed, the whole area has changed. We can all think of home. Think of your childhood home. Think of your favorite home. I remember talking with Dr. Chester Bartram’s family and they talked about a farm they would travel down to. Are there places that you can go and you know you are home? When I drive around Dayton, I still feel home because that is where I lived until I was twenty-five years old. But then I was in Cincinnati and it took awhile but then it felt like home. I have now been here for almost five and a half years and it also feels like home. I have an intimate connection with this area as it has become part of my life. Meagan and I have lived in our current house longer than any other house since we have been married. We moved five times in our first eight years of marriage. I remember driving to visit with people in this area and as I drive up and down the streets I can think of that. I remember jogging up and down the streets in a snowstorm, all covered with snow. I remember jogging with a church member and getting caught in a lightning storm. When I moved to Cincinnati I realized that when my memories of that area included, not just work, but time with my wife in that area, then it was home. When I could be driving to a hospital to visit someone and think about driving down that same road with my wife, then it was home. The memories had to include family. Some of you have lived in your same house for forty or more years. Some of you have lived in this area all your life and I am sure you would say this is home.

So, think about Heaven, will we have homes? Will we have our own homes?

I want to say, yes, and yes to an extent.

Theme: Heaven will have all the comforts of this world without the sin, pain and suffering. In heaven we will have home-sweet-home.

Let’s read Isaiah 65:17 and 21-22:

“See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.

21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.

  1. Yes, we will have homes in Heaven.
    1. Our homes will reflect this life without sin, trouble, hardship, pain and sickness.
    2. Remember that it seems there is some continuity between this life and Heaven.
    3. If you read the context of that passage some of it could have to do with the Millennial reign, though it seems evident that it for sure includes the eternal New Jerusalem as well.
    4. As I look at this it seems for sure that we will have homes.
    5. It seems that we may have land.
    6. Remember that if you read Revelation chapters 21-22 we see a huge city which is the New Jerusalem, but we also see a Garden. If you like the city, you got it. If you like the opened country, you have that as well.
    7. In the passage in Revelation it seems that we will be able to work the soil on our land.
    8. Work is not a consequence of sin. In Genesis 2:15 we see that Adam was placed in the Garden to take care of it and this is before sin entered the world. But Because of sin we work and grow weary. In Heaven we won’t. This doesn’t mean we won’t rest in Heaven.
    9. What will our homes be like?
    10. So, in Heaven we have homes and we have land and we can take care of the land.
    11. Will our homes be big or small?
    12. In Chip Ingram’s book The Real Heaven, What the Bible Actually Says, he has a chapter on our homes. He says that our homes will be a lot like the new bodies we have. Our new bodies are to be similar to our current bodies and our new homes will be as well, except they will not have all the limitations and illness, etc.
    13. There is only so much we can know, but I do think we can go a little deeper.
    14. Let’s read John 14:1-2: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
    15. Randy Alcorn helps us understand this: The Vulgate, the Latin Bible, used the word mansions in that verse, and the King James Version followed by using mansions. Unfortunately, that rendering is misleading if it makes us envision having massive lodgings on separate estates. The intended meaning seems to be that we’ll have separate dwelling places on a single estate or even separate rooms within the same house.
    16. New Testament scholar D. A. Carson says, “Since heaven is here pictured as the Father’s house, it is more natural to think of ‘dwelling-places’ within a house as rooms or suites.  .  .  . The simplest explanation is best: my Father’s house refers to heaven, and in heaven are many rooms, many dwelling-places. The point is not the lavishness of each apartment, but the fact that such ample provision has been made that there is more than enough space for every one of Jesus’ disciples to join him in his Father’s home.”
    17. The New International Version rendering of John 14:2 is this: “In my Father’s house are many rooms.  .  .  . I am going there to prepare a place for you.” Place is singular, but rooms is plural. This suggests Jesus has in mind for each of us an individual dwelling that’s a smaller part of the larger place. This place will be home to us in the most unique sense.
    18. The term room is cozy and intimate. The terms house or estate suggest spaciousness. That’s Heaven: a place both spacious and intimate. Some of us enjoy coziness, being in a private space. Others enjoy a large, wide-open space. Most of us enjoy both— and the New Earth will offer both. Heaven isn’t likely to have lots of identical residences. God loves diversity, and he tailor-makes his children and his provisions for them. When we see the particular place he’s prepared for us— not just for mankind in general but for us in particular— we’ll rejoice to see our ideal home.
    19. We will entertain in Heaven? Since we have homes I think it is likely that we will entertain in our homes just like we do today. This gets into a broader topic of feasts in Heaven, eating in Heaven, relationships in Heaven, etc, but it seems that we will have all of that.
      1. It seems that we will feast with people.
      2. Look at all the times Jesus ate with people.
  • Hebrews 13:2 talks about entertaining angels, so entertainment is important.
  1. We also know about the Marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19:6-9.
  1. Let’s take a moment to apply
    1. Why wouldn’t we have nice homes in Heaven?
    2. Why wouldn’t we have dream homes in Heaven?
    3. We will have real, resurrected bodies.
    4. We will have a real city and a real garden that will be paradise.
    5. We will have relationships.
    6. We will eat.
    7. Heaven will be what this life was and is meant to be. There will be no suffering, crying, pain, sickness or death, but there will be purpose and living.
    8. We can be encouraged that we will have some form of dwelling in Heaven.
    9. We can be encouraged that some things from this life will continue to eternity.
    10. We can recognize that we must live in community now, as we will later.
    11. We can serve and entertain now, as we will in eternity. “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13: 2).
    12. We can recognize that we must live for eternity now and be blessed later. (Matthew 6:19-20)

Close:

What makes something or someplace home?

Could it be that home is where your family is? Could it be that home is where your community is? Could it be that home is where you belong? Could it be that home is where you have purpose? Could it be that home is where you have memories? I believe you will have all that in Heaven and so much more. You will have memories and make new memories. You will have community and new community. You will have family and more family. You will have purpose. You will belong like you have never belonged before. You will have an estate, land and house. Oh, you will also have joy. You will have joy like you have never known before.

Heaven will be home! Home sweet home!

 

Do you know Christ?

Luke 9:23

 

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

 

Heaven will not be boring

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Opening:

A cleric found himself wondering whether there were any golf courses in Heaven. He even began to ask the question in his prayers. One day, in answer to his prayers, he received a direct answer from on high. 

“Yes,” said the Heavenly messenger, “There are many excellent golf courses in Heaven. The greens are always in first class condition, the weather is always perfect and you always get to play with the very nicest people.”

“Oh, thank you,” said the cleric, “That really is marvellous news.”

“Yes, isn’t it?” replied the messenger, “And we’ve got you down for a foursome next Saturday.”[1]

A few weeks ago I was running with Mercedes and we had an interesting conversation. Actually, we are having many philosophical conversations as we run. So, a few weeks ago she asked me if we will have to go to the bathroom in Heaven. I don’t have a good answer to that, though I understand the question. One of the major stressors of a five-year-old is to make sure she makes it to the bathroom in time. I remember being a child and thinking about how in Heaven I hope that we can have peanut-butter pie. I remember thinking that we could eat as much as we want without getting sick. Some of those thoughts have worn off as I’ve aged. Why don’t we think like children about Heaven anymore? Why can’t we use our imagination?

A common misconception about eternity surfaced in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. A member of the undying “Q continuum” longs for an end to his existence. Why? Because, he complains, everything that could be said and done has already been said and done, and now there’s only repetition and utter boredom. He says, “For us, the disease is immortality.” Finally he’s allowed to end his existence.[2]

Can Christians have fun? Why not?

I thought about this while reading the Little House in the Big Woods book to Mercedes:

Little House in the Big Wood Sundays chapter:

On Sundays Mary and Laura must not run or shout or be noisy in their play. Mary could not sew on her nine-patch quilt, and Laura could not knit on the tiny mittens she was making for Baby Carrie. They might look quietly at their paper dolls, but they must not make anything new for them. They were not allowed to sew on doll clothes, not even with pins.

They must sit quietly and listen while Ma read Bible stories to them, or stories about lions and tigers and white bears from Pa’s big green book, The Wonders of the Animal World. They might look at pictures, and they might hold their rag dolls nicely and talk to them. But there was nothing else they could do.

Laura liked best to look at the pictures in the big Bible, with its paper covers. Best of all was the picture of Adam naming the animals.

One Sunday after supper she could not bear it any longer. She began to play with Jack, and in a few minutes she was running and shouting. Pa told her to sit in her chair and be quiet, but when Laura sat down she began to cry and kick the chair with her heels.

“I hate Sunday!” she said.

Pa put down his book. “Laura,” he said sternly, “come here.”

Her feet dragged as she went, because she knew she deserved a spanking. But when she reached Pa, he looked at her sorrowfully for a moment, and then took her on his knee and cuddled her against him. He held out his other arm to Mary, and said:

“I’m going to tell you a story about when Grandpa was a boy.”[3] He then tells a story about his father being punished for fun on Sundays.

I don’t want to insult the past, I know they had reasons for what they did, but sometimes in our best efforts to be reverent we ruin fun. The problem with that is we make Christians look boring. It follows that we make Heaven seem boring.

Is Heaven to be boring?

Theme: Heaven will not be boring, Heaven will be fun. Heaven will have all the blessings of this life without the hardships, pain and suffering.

WHAT WILL WE DO?

We will worship the triune God.

We will rule and administrate.

We will have different positions of authority.

We may rebuild cities.

We may build homes.

Some will compose and write music.

Some will play musical instruments.

We will serve.

Some will farm.

Some will cultivate orchards.[4]

  1. It seems that Heaven is a reflection of earth, or should I say earth is a reflection of how Heaven was to be.
    1. Things God created that have been distorted by sin will be made right and perfect.
    2. We live in a fallen world, but I believe the Bible shows that Heaven will be as God intended the Garden of Eden to be before sin entered the world.
    3. We can read Revelation 21 and 22 and see the comparisons with the Garden of Eden. In the eternal Heaven, in Revelation 22 it seems that that Heaven is a reflection of the first Garden of Eden. We will see a Tree of Life again in verse 2 as there was a tree of life in the first Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). We see a river in the eternal Heaven in Revelation 22:1. We see two rivers in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:10 and 13. It does seem that the eternal New Jerusalem Heaven is going to be like the Garden of Eden was meant to be, only much better.
    4. We have purpose now and we will have purpose for all eternity.
    5. Just think for a moment about your best moments on earth. Think about your most exciting times. Think about how you felt when you first found out you were going to be a dad or a mom. Think about how you felt when were first engaged or newly married. Think about the joy, comfort and excitement on a vacation. Just think about how excited you were to get a new job or do a certain job. Just think for a moment about how much you love a certain hobby. Now imagine that joy, those feelings, that excitement going for all eternity. Imagine for all eternity doing what you love to do, but without being tired, without sickness or pain. I wouldn’t limit eternity though. You may get bored fishing for all eternity, but why would you do the same thing? What if you fished for a while and then played golf and then accomplished a task? It does seem that we will have purpose.
    6. Look with me at Luke 19:11-17: While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ 14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’ 15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ 17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
    7. This is a parable of Heaven and it seems that Jesus is saying that when we are faithful we will be blessed.
    8. It seems that He is saying when we are faithful we will be blessed by helping to run the universe. We can help Jesus run the universe.
    9. There are other passages: Randy Alcorn writes: Isaiah 65: 21 suggests that we’ll build houses and live in them on the New Earth. If so, we’ll no doubt decorate them beautifully. Buildings on the scale of the New Jerusalem reflect extensive cultural advancement. Human builders will learn from God’s design, just as Leonardo da Vinci learned by studying the form and flight of birds while working on his flying machine. What will clear-thinking human beings— unhindered by sin and the barriers that separate us— be able to design and build? What would Galileo, da Vinci, Edison, or Einstein achieve if they could live even a thousand years unhindered by the Curse? What will we achieve when we have resurrected bodies with resurrected minds, working together forever?[5]
    10. He continues: Some researchers suggest that we now use only 10 percent of our brainpower. Adam and Eve could likely use 100 percent of theirs— and their brainpower was probably far greater than ours… On the New Earth, God’s gifts to us will never be lost to age, death, pettiness, insecurity, or laziness.[6]
    11. It is quite likely people will continue to compose music, write stories, discover things.
    12. Suppose people continue to explore, but now they can explore all of these new oceans. Suppose people can explore outers pace and go even further than ever before.
    13. A major point to be made is that we will have resurrected-perfect bodies. In 1 Corinthians 15, the great chapter on the resurrection, Paul writes about our resurrected bodies. I don’t know if we will be able to, but Jesus was able to walk through walls (John 20:19), Jesus was not limited by gravity (Acts 1:9). That could be because Jesus is God, but who is to say that our resurrected bodies will not have more capabilities than we have now.
    14. Randy Alcorn writes: A disembodied existence would be boring, but the reality of our bodily resurrection puts boredom to death. Imagine the animals that zoologists will research and play with or the flowers that botanists will study. Gifted astronomers and explorers may go from star system to star system, galaxy to galaxy, studying the wonders of God’s creation. If we think life on the New Earth will be boring, we just aren’t getting it. Take a closer look at God and his Word, and all thoughts that we’ll be bored in his presence will vanish.[7]
    15. We will have fun. God created fun, we didn’t create fun. When we were children, we played— with each other and with dogs and cats and frogs. We enjoyed hiding, climbing trees, sledding, and throwing snowballs and baseballs. We played nonstop, never having to go earn a living. We played just because it was fun. Is God pleased by that? Yes, because he created and values a childlike spirit (Mark 10: 14-15).[8]
  2. Let’s apply this.
    1. Look with me at Revelation 14:13: Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lordfrom now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
    2. Did you notice that? Their deeds will follow them. What we do on earth will follow us so it is best that we store up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-20).
    3. Hebrews 6:10 tells us that God will not forget the good things we do.
    4. We can look forward to Heaven. Heaven will be greater than anything we can imagine.
    5. We can share the Gospel knowing that we are inviting others to paradise.
    6. We can also know that if we have extra suffering here and now we won’t have that for eternity.
    7. Some us would love to do certain things, but can’t because of health. You can do all that and more in Heaven. If you can’t go fishing anymore, you can in Heaven. If you can’t run anymore, you will be able to in Heaven. If you can’t play golf anymore, you can in Heaven. If you can’t read anymore or travel or hear in Heaven these things will be restored. In Heaven you will be able to be active without pain. In Heaven you will be able to have energy which you cannot imagine now.
    8. I am amazed by Mercedes energy. She can move so fast! I am amazed at my young age how sore I can feel in the morning. I cannot imagine life without having to think about energy levels, but in Heaven this will be fixed.
    9. However, our experience in Heaven is determined by our faithfulness to Christ now.
    10. Remember we are saved by grace, but we will have rewards for faithfully serving Jesus.
    11. So, just like how in this life the mistakes we make now catch up to us later, it is true for all eternity. Serve Jesus faithfully now and you will have more opportunities to serve Him forever.

 

Close:

Two Christians have lived very good, and also very healthy lives. They die, and go to heaven. 

As they are walking along, marveling at the paradise around them, one turns to the other and says “Wow. I never knew heaven was going to be as good as this!”

“Yeah”, says the other. “And just think, if we hadn’t eaten all that oat bran we could have got here ten years sooner.”[9]

I love C. S. Lewis’s profound perspective in his book Mere Christianity, when he writes,

The Christian says, “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.”[10]

We are created for another eternity. We are created for Heaven and it will not be boring.

Heaven will not be boring; Heaven will be fun. Heaven will have all the blessings of this life without the hardships, pain and suffering.

Do you know Christ?

Luke 9:23

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

[1] http://jokes.christiansunite.com/Heaven/Golf_in_Heaven.shtml

[2] Alcorn, Randy (2011-12-08). Heaven (Alcorn, Randy) (Kindle Locations 7599-7602). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[3] http://www.gutenberg.ca/ebooks/wilder-woods/wilder-woods-01-h.html

[4] Enns, Paul P. (2011-03-01). Heaven Revealed: What Is It Like? What Will We Do?… And 11 Other Things You’ve Wondered About (p. 153). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[5] Alcorn, Randy (2011-12-08). Heaven (Alcorn, Randy) (Kindle Locations 7599-7602). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[6] Alcorn, Randy (2011-12-08). Heaven (Alcorn, Randy) (Kindle Locations 7599-7602). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[7] Alcorn, Randy (2011-12-08). Heaven (Alcorn, Randy) (Kindle Locations 7599-7602). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[8] Alcorn, Randy (2011-12-08). Heaven (Alcorn, Randy) (Kindle Locations 7880-7883). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

[9] http://jokes.christiansunite.com/Heaven/The_Healthy_Christians.shtml

[10] Ingram, Chip; Witt, Lance (2016-02-23). The Real Heaven: What the Bible Actually Says (Kindle Locations 1380-1388). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Will animals be in Heaven?

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We have always had a love for animals, haven’t we?

I remember a Twilight Zone episode about a man and his dog.

Hyder Simpson is an elderly mountain man who lives with his wife Rachel and his hound dog Rip in the backwoods. Rachel does not like having the dog indoors, but Rip saved Hyder’s life once and Hyder refuses to part with him. Rachel has seen some bad omens recently and warns Hyder not to go raccoon hunting that night. When Rip dives into a pond after a raccoon, Hyder jumps in after him, but only the raccoon comes up out of the water. The next morning, Hyder and Rip wake up next to the pond. When they return home, Hyder finds that neither Rachel, the preacher, nor the neighbors can hear him or see him; they are under the impression that he has died. 

Walking along the road, Hyder and Rip encounter an unfamiliar fence and begin to follow it. They come to a gate tended by a man, who Hyder initially believes to be Saint Peter. Explaining that he is only a gatekeeper, the man explains that Hyder can enter the Elysian Fields of the afterlife. Simpson is appreciative, but disheartened to hear that neither raccoon hunting nor any of his other usual pleasures can be found inside. Told that Rip cannot enter and will be taken elsewhere, Hyder angrily declines the offer of entry and decides to keep walking along the “Eternity Road,” saying, “Any place that’s too high-falutin’ for Rip is too fancy for me.”

Later, Hyder and Rip stop to rest and are met by a young man, who introduces himself as an angel dispatched to find them and bring them to Heaven. When Hyder explains his previous encounter, the angel tells him that the gate was actually the entrance to Hell. The gatekeeper had stopped Rip from entering because Rip would have smelled the brimstone inside and warned Hyder that something was wrong. The angel says, “You see, Mr. Simpson, a man, well, he’ll walk right into Hell with both eyes open. But even the Devil can’t fool a dog!”

As the angel leads Hyder along the Eternity Road toward Heaven, the angel tells Hyder that a square dance and raccoon hunt are scheduled for that night. He also assures Hyder that Rachel, who will soon be coming along the road, will not be misled into entering Hell.

The closing narration is:

“Travelers to unknown regions would be well advised to take along the family dog. He could just save you from entering the wrong gate. At least, it happened that way once—in a mountainous area of the Twilight Zone.”

I wonder if our love for animals is because God created animals and He created animals as part of Eden. Look at Genesis 1:30:

And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. [1]

This passage references animals in the Garden of Eden and also references the “breath of life in them.” Animals were in paradise when God first created it prior to the fall of man. In the eternal Heaven, in Revelation 22 it seems that that Heaven is a reflection of the first Garden of Eden. We will see a Tree of Life again in verse 2 as there was a tree of life in the first Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9). We see a river in the eternal Heaven in Revelation 22:1. We see two rivers in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:10 and 13. It does seem that the eternal New Jerusalem Heaven is going to be like the Garden of Eden was meant to be, only much better. It would seem that since animals were in the first garden they will be with us in eternity. Let’s talk about this for a moment.

My Theme today:

Animals were created by God as part of paradise and that will continue into the new creation.

I hope this is encouraging for you.

  1. Let’s start by talking about souls. Do animals have souls?
    1. When God breathed a spirit into Adam’s body, made from the earth, Adam became nephesh, a “living being” or “soul” (Genesis 2: 7).
    2. Randy Alcorn shares: Remarkably, the same Hebrew word, nephesh, is used for animals and for people. We are specifically told that not only people, but animals have “the breath of life” in them (Genesis 1: 30; 2: 7; 6: 17; 7: 15, 22). God hand-made animals, linking them both to the earth and humanity. Am I suggesting animals have souls? Certainly they do not have human souls. Animals aren’t created in God’s image, and they aren’t equal to humans in any sense. Nonetheless, there’s a strong biblical case for animals having non-human souls. I didn’t take this seriously until I studied the usage of the Hebrew and Greek words nephesh and psyche, often translated “soul” when referring to humans. (Nephesh is translated psyche in the Septuagint.) The fact that these words are often used of animals is compelling evidence that they have non-human souls. That’s what most Christians in the past believed. In their book Beyond Death, Gary Habermas and J. P. Moreland point out, “It wasn’t until the advent of seventeenth-century Enlightenment . .  . that the existence of animal souls was even questioned in Western civilization.
    3. So, it seems that they do have some sort of a soul.
  2. How will people and animals relate?
    1. It seems that we will relate similarly to the way we were to relate in the Garden of Eden.
    2. Randy Alcorn shares: God created us to be stewards of animals. He holds us accountable for how we treat them. “The godly are concerned for the welfare of their animals” (Proverbs 12: 10, NLT). We are caretakers for the animals, but they belong to God, not us: “For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. Every bird of the mountains and all the animals of the field belong to me” (Psalm 50: 10-11, NLT). Some people regard emotional attachment to animals as a modern development. But many cultures’ historical records demonstrate otherwise. The prophet Nathan spoke to King David of the poor man who had a little lamb “who shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him” (2   Samuel 12: 3). There’s no suggestion this man’s affection for his pet was inappropriate. David, unaware the story was told to expose his own sin, angrily responded that the man who stole the precious pet deserved to die. We needn’t speculate how God might populate a perfect Earth. He populated Eden with animals, under the rule of people. God doesn’t make mistakes.
  • Will animals praise God:
    1. This is new to me. I never thought of animals praising God.
    2. Consider the psalms. Psalm 148 commands all of creation to praise the Lord, including the animals: “Wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens” (vv. 10-13).
    3. 10-13). If in some sense fallen animals, shadows of what they once were, can praise God on this fallen Earth, how much more should we expect them to do so on the New Earth? “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150: 6)
    4. We’re told eight times in Revelation of “living creatures” in the present Heaven: “Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.’.  .  . The living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne” (Revelation 4: 8-9).
    5. Randu Alcorn writes about this: The word translated “living creatures” is zoon. Throughout most of the   New Testament the word is translated “animal” and is used to indicate animals sacrificed in the Temple and wild, irrational animals (Hebrews 13: 11; 2   Peter 2: 12; Jude 1: 10). In the Old Testament, the Septuagint used zoon to translate the Hebrew   words for animals, including the “living creatures” of the sea (Genesis 1: 21; Ezekiel 47: 9). In extrabiblical writings, zoon commonly referred to ordinary   animals and was used of the Egyptians’ divine animals and the mythological   bird called the Phoenix (1 Clement 25: 2-3). In virtually every case inside   and outside of Scripture, this word means not a person, not an angel, but an animal.
    6. In the book Heaven he gets into greater detail. It is amazing to think that animals will praise God alongside us.
    7. It could even be possible that in a restored creation animals can talk.
  1. Will animals be resurrected?
    1. I can get into greater detail about animals and pets, but we will stop with this part.
    2. Psalm 104 is all about animals and then we get to verse 30 and it references renewing them. This seems to mean that they are resurrected in Heaven.
    3. It seems that it glorified God more by restoring than recreating. When God makes things right in eternity it is as if God is saying, “I can show you things can be redeemed.” God will redeem all things.
    4. If animals are resurrected this means your pet may be in Heaven as well.
  2. A few thoughts:
    1. Heaven will be awesome with or without your pet.
    2. Heaven will be with God in paradise.
    3. Secondly: DON’T discourage people from grieving the loss of an animal. That is appropriate. God created animals for us and we are sad when they leave us.
    4. I believe the Bible teaches us not to abuse animals. We are to take care of them.
    5. Romans 8 teaches us that all creation is waiting redemption and this includes animals.

Close:

In many of his writings, C. S. Lewis commented on the future of animals. He said, “It seems to me possible that certain animals may have an immortality, not in   themselves, but in the immortality of their masters.  .  .  . Very few animals indeed, in their wild state, attain to a ‘self’ or ego. But if any do, and if it is agreeable to   the goodness of God that they should live again, their immortality would also be related to man— not, this time, to individual masters, but to humanity.” In The Great Divorce, Lewis portrayed Sarah Smith, a woman ordinary on Earth, as great in Heaven. On Earth she loved both people and animals. In Heaven she’s surrounded by the very animals she cared for on Earth.

In her excellent book about Heaven, Joni Eareckson Tada says, “If God brings our pets back to life, it wouldn’t surprise me. It would be just like Him. It would be totally in keeping with His generous character.  .  .  . Exorbitant. Excessive. Extravagant in grace after grace. Of all the dazzling discoveries and ecstatic pleasures heaven will hold for us, the potential of seeing Scrappy would be pure whimsy— utterly, joyfully, surprisingly superfluous.  .  .  . Heaven is going to be a place that will refract and reflect in as many ways as possible the goodness and joy of our great God, who delights in lavishing love on His children.”[2]

Heaven will be more amazing than anything we can imagine. Look forward to Heaven.

Do you know Christ?

Luke 9:23

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

[1] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ge 1:30.

[2] Alcorn, Randy (2011-12-08). Heaven (Alcorn, Randy) (Kindle Locations 7430-7439). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.