God's promise of heaven

Sunday 19^th December 2010 by Alan Walden

Readings: Revelation 21:1-7; Luke 23:33-43

Today, we reach the end of our series on discipleship by looking at ‘God’s promise of heaven’. It would be easy to speculate about heaven on the basis of what we might like, or be able to imagine. C.S. Lewis once described heaven as ‘that remote music we’re born remembering’. He suggested that the whole human race has a kind of deep sense that there must be a better, different world that we were designed for.

That is an interesting point, but we can do better than that, because we have specific information in the Bible, promises and teaching from God about heaven.

At this time of year, in the depths of this snowy winter, our thoughts naturally turn to warmer, brighter times and places, in other words to holidays! After Christmas we will be bombarded by holiday adverts, brochures, and doubtless competitions to win a luxury holiday. Imagine if you won a holiday. I guess if you did that the first thing you would want to know would be: where? Is it somewhere nice, is it somewhere I want to go? The other thing you would want to know would be the travel arrangements - what will the journey to your destination involve?

If this is true of a holiday, how much more is it true of heaven? The Bible tells us about the journey and what it will be like when we get there. And it tells us, not just to fulfil our idle curiosity, but so that we can get ready for heaven. The best we can do with this life is - prepare well for heaven, and there are 3 features in particular which we see today in our readings which will help us prepare.

The first, key feature of heaven is the presence of God. In our reading from Revelation it says ‘See the home of God is among mortals; He will dwell with them, they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them’ God in all his glory pervades everything in heaven. (The power of God, the love of God, the righteousness of God - all of the nature of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is fully, eternally, present). To be in heaven will be to have a clear view of God in all his glory.

In this life we get glimpses of God, heavenly moments, when we experience God’s healing, his love, when we understand and experience some small part of what God has done for us. But in heaven, that experience of God will be much more intense than the best of this life, and it will be like that constantly.

Have you have ever visited a place which made a real impact on you? When I was 18 years old I went abroad on my own for the first time to Hong Kong. I had done quite a lot of research about Hong Kong before I went, I had seen pictures, read guide books, talked to people who had been there, etc, but nothing prepared me for what it was like when I arrived. There are hugh skyscrapers, on either side of a harbour thronged with boats. There is a vibrant Chinese cultural life, an incredible selection of restaurants with different types of cuisine. An incredible experience on many levels. It wasn’t all heavenly, needless to say, but it was incredibly intense. I was very grateful for the preparation I had done, but no amount of research could have prevented me being completely overawed, amazed and energised by the place.

And the presence of God will be something which we will never be fully ready for, it will be intense, awesome and overpowering. Our preparations for it, never complete, will be very worth while.

The second feature of heaven which arises out of God’s presence is the absence of sin. It is hard for us to grasp what the full presence of God will be like in positive terms, and it is explained more by absence of things which pervade our current world. V4 ‘Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.’

In the presence of God there can be no sin, and if there is no sin, then all the terrible consequences of sin are abolished. Imagine a world with all that is good in it still there, but no sin - you are imagining heaven.

In the presence of God and the absence of sin, there can be no suffering - no unhappiness of any kind - no decay or aging - no death - no experience of loss - no reason for grieving. There can only be life, joy, peace.

When we are suffering, and finding this life a trial, then this aspect of heaven is a wonderful encouragement. When we are enjoying this life, feeling that everything is pretty good, then that will still be nothing compared with heaven. Heaven will be like the occasional glimpses we get of God, our mountain top experiences. Tackling sin in our lives will be a great preparation for heaven.

The third aspect of heaven for which we can prepare is that it will be a communal experience. Heaven is a place where we will be able to have fellowship not only with God but also with the rest of God’s people there. The Bible talks about people in heaven being together and worshipping God. We have images such as the wedding banquet, and in verse 2 the Holy City. A city is a place where many people all live together. V3 ‘God will dwell with them, they will be his peoples, God himself will be with them’. It’s all plural - this will not be an individual experience.

In this life, many of the problems we have stem from difficulties between people. There might even be some people in the church whom the prospect of spending eternity with does not seem like your idea of heaven.

But whatever it is you don’t like about them - great news - that will be sorted out in heaven! They will be changed, and so will you, so that you can have not just perfect fellowship with God, but also perfect fellowship with other people. That will make all sorts of wonderful things possible which are just not possible now, including everyone getting on well together.

Benjamin Franklin, who as well as being a founder of the United States, was also a printer, penned his own epitath:

The Body of B. Franklin, Printer

Like the Cover of an old Book

Its contents torn out,

And stript of its Lettering and Guilding,

Lies here, Food for Worms,

But the Work shall not be wholly lost:

For it will, as he believ'd,

Appear once more

In a new & more perfect Edition,

Corrected and amended by the Author.

So we prepare for heaven by spending time with other Christians not focussing on their flaws (which God will sort out), but on their good points (which will endure for ever). The best preparation is to worship God together.

There is much more that I could say, but time doesn’t permit. But do look out for other references to heaven in the Bible, and think how they might help you prepare.

Having explored what heaven is like, the other question is - when do we go there? There seem to be two different aspects of this presented in the Bible.

Firstly, there is what Jesus said on the cross to the thief, as we heard in our gospel reading. ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise’

How do we square this with other passages on the resurrection, such as 1 Corinthians 15 which talks about the dead being raised at the end of time when Christ returns, having been asleep. Also, the new creation in Revelation 21.

Putting together everything which the Bible says about heaven, and what will happen after we die, it is fairly clear that there is a two stage process. (My understanding of this has been helped immensely by reading a book called Surprised by Hope’ by Bishop Tom Wright.) After we die, there will be a period of waiting. This is not purgatory, but of being with Jesus, held in God’s love. If you like, that is being ‘in heaven’, for it is in God’s presence. But it is described as a period of rest, sleep and waiting. If even an executed criminal can be there with Jesus, then all who trust in him can surely expect to be there too.

And what is being waited for is the new creation. At the end of time, Christ will come, and the dead will be raised. There will be a new creation - a new heaven and earth, as described in Revelation 21. And there will also be new bodies - resurrection bodies for those who are in Christ. We will then live in the new creation, with God, with a new body. That is the ultimate Christian hope. Not for a vague ethereal existence, but a real, solid one, in God’s presence without sin and with each other. That is a richer hope than simply going to heaven when we die.

So as we contemplate what will happen after we die - our heavenly presence with God, involving both waiting and resting in his presence, and living with him in a physical new creation, we can now see how we might store up treasure in heaven, by the way we live now.

· As we get to know more about the Lord, and practice being in his presence, we are storing up treasure in heaven.

· As we seek to live godly lives, submitting to the will of God, not focussing on our own short term happiness, we are storing up treasure in heaven.

· As we seek good fellowship with our fellow Christians - in St Peters and St Francis, with those in other churches and other denominations, we are storing up treasure in heaven.

This world is shadowy and temporary, compared with our hope of heaven. The new heaven and new earth will be the true and permanent reality.

God has told us quite enough for us to know how to get ready. If you would prepare to go on holiday, how much more should you prepare for heaven. That is our Christian discipleship - spending this life preparing for eternal life, together with the rest of God’s people, in the presence of our righteous and loving heavenly Father.

Questions

1) How do you imagine heaven? What common images are helpful, and what are misleading?

2) If someone asked you to explain what happens when we die, how would you answer them?

3) What things do you do which help you prepare for heaven, and how might you seek to be better prepared?

4) As you look back over the discipleship series, how has God spoken to you about the way you live your Christian life?