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January 16, 2017 5:05 pm
Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners receive free email daily devotions were to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org Revelation 21 of the title of my messages. The best is yet to come. That's only a good message title. The best is yet to come in is true, it's absolutely true artist story about a very wealthy man.
He was near death and we all know that you can't take it with you right as I've often said you've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer but this guy somehow worked out a deal with God and the Lord made an exception and said okay you can bring one suitcase.
He was such a wealthy guy. He wanted to take something they have and so he loaded up his suitcase was solid gold bars. This is a two-story, he arrives at the pearly gates of Carson is greeted by Peter.
Peter knew all about the arrangement.
This guy made with God. And Peter said you don't mind that I could just look in your suitcase, curious as to what you brought Peter look in there. Okay, come on in welcoming and then one of the Angels came up to Peter and said so what one of the guy bring with him up to Kevin and that suitcase. Peter said it's the funniest thing this guy brought a suitcase full of pavement and of course you've heard that the streets of heaven are paved with gold. That is not an exaggeration. The Bible actually says that gold is effectively the pavement of heaven and not so were looking at right now to get a real glimpse into the afterlife and I think this is important because, listen to this.
The Bible is the only reliable source on the afterlife gave the only reliable source because every now and then someone has a new book or they have a new movie and again and tell us all about their visions of heaven riding unicorns and you know seen rainbows and all these wonderful things and we get all excited about that. But I did tell you I think all of that with a grain of salt, if not more. The only reliable source. The only trustworthy source is the word of God and by the way everything we need to know about heaven is found in the Bible. If God wanted us to know more, he would've told us more.
He told us as much as we need to know. But having said that, we learned quite a bit about heaven in Revelation chapter 21 and 22. One thing that really comes out clearly is heaven is a real place. We just gonna wrap our mind around that thought heaven is a real place, if not some mysterious atmospheric realm of smoke and mirrors and now it's an actual place. Just as surely as New York City is a place source.
Chicago is a place or LA is a place to matter what kind of place but it's a place you go to heaven is a real place for real people listen in real bodies to do real thing.
And deep down inside were all homesick for heaven were prewired that way.
That's what we been longing for. From our first memory unit going back your earliest childhood. This is what you been searching for the Bible tells us about Abraham who was looking for a city whose builder and maker was God.
Hebrews 11 nine.
What were looking out in Sunday morning.
It says if he reached the land God promised to them. He lived there by faith, but he was like a foreigner living in a tent so did Isaac and Jacob, whom God gave the same promise. Abraham did this because he confidently was looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, the city designed and built by God and in the same way were just like gold. Abraham were longing for the city as well. Our real home is heaven and the new earth, that is to come. Yes, were occupants of monitored but our citizenship is in heaven.
The Bible tells us now in the final two chapters of Revelation, John uses the word city 11 times referring to heaven. And the guts important.
We can remember it reminding us that it is a real place in you.
I don't think we think enough about this. I think it's a good thing to be heavenly minded that Colossians 3 says, set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth and what that means is, think of the eternal perspective in life we think so much about the here and now.
But we don't think enough about the by and by. Two Corinthians 417 says our present troubles are quite small, it won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an eternal weight of glory that will last forever.
So whatever you're going through in life whatever hardship you're going through in life for giving them the light of eternity.
And you know I think on earth. We all want to be lighter right, especially the beginning of the year.
Everybody goes on diets and they all joined Jim's and Jim's love that by the way, because gym membership goes up, the people start like two or three times and never come again in the Jim James keeps collecting the money off your credit card will give their there just fine with that but we all want to lose weight, were way conscious of ascending the line at the market, buying raw lard to eat for lunch and I saw all the magazines you know people in us and all the others how to lose weight, lose weight, lose weight, lose weight, so we always want to lose weight and that's a bad thing, but in another sense, we want to be a heavy weight. I'm talking about spiritually. There was a boy king named Belshazzar he went out of his way to mock God and the Lord gave him sort of a vision of a hand, which was actually the hand of God writing on the wall and these words were scrawled there sort of heavenly graffiti if you will.
Many, many tackle you far sent to know what it meant. The: the prophet Daniel was an old man at this point Daniel Redington okay but it says is you been weight in the balances and you have been found lacking in other words, Belshazzar, buddy. You are a spiritual light weight. You are like a bantamweight. So when it comes to your life as a follower of Christ, you should be a heavyweight and have an eternal perspective. And speaking of heaven. Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you if Jesus didn't say you go doing a listing of all altered consciousness. One day I know he said I prepare a place for you.
By the way, the night that Jesus delivered those words was unlike any other spent with his disciples. He was heavy of heart. Then he dropped the bombshell that one of them was going to betray him, and he identifies the culprit. Judas Iscariot and he says to whatever you do, do it now and then he continues on John 1331 says as soon as Judas left the room. Jesus said the time is now come for me.
For the Son of Man to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory because of all that happens to me and God will bring me into my glory very soon, dear children, how brief are these moments before. I must go away and leave you and though you search for me. You cannot come to me. Peter thinks this is a good moment to jump in and say something a typical pewter fashion open mouth insert foot, you know, he says what Lord Walton are you I will never deny you. Jesus said, well, since you brought it up rock before the rooster's crow twice you'll deny three times that you know me. Of course, pewter protests and said that will never be in the disciples are just dumbfounded what is happening. I mean everything is going well. And all of a sudden they find out that Judas is betraying them peters going to deny them and then Jesus breaks the silence of these words very familiar work.
John 14 when he says let not your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions that were not so I would've told you. I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you want to myself door. I am, you may be good old Thomas speaks episode Lord we went over this place is a way to know where you're gone. Thank you Thomas for asking that question because Jesus insists I am the way the truth and the life no man comes of the father but by me to hear know were looking at. Revelation ensures the apostle John, really on an island that he's been banished to called Patmos he was there that night. He remembers it well. He's thinking back on all the things that transpired all the things that happen. Now he's in an island effectively in the middle of nowhere and is presumably but presumably alone. Remembering the sea of this scene rather than 60 years have passed and now he's been given a glimpse of the place Christ was talking about and he is described it here in the book of Revelation. Remember the word Revelation means the unveiling, because it's not God's desire to conceal its God's desire to reveal to help you understand things, even better, and so now he is seen things that no man has ever seen before and now he's going to sort of take us into the future and he's going to give us a glimpse of glory that will were about to read is kind of mindbending and it's hard to completely comprehend, but let's read now these verses talk about it and maybe help us all understand them a little bit better. Revelation 21 verse 10 and he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal and she had a great and high wall with 12 gates, and 12 angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel, three gates on the east three gates on the north three gates on the south three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had 12 foundations, and on them were the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.
Any talk with me and had a gold read to measure the city, its gates and its wall. The city is laid out like a square. The length is as great as it spread and he measured the city with the reed. That's 12,000 furlongs. Its length and breadth, and height are equal then he measured its wall 144 cubits, according to the measure of man that is of an angel. The construction of the wall was jasper, the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third a child stood me. The fourth emerald, the fifth. Sartre announces six sardius the seventh, chrysolite eight barrel the ninth Topaz the 10th Christ. So praise I think the 11th just sent in the 12 amethyst. The 12 gates were 12 pearls, each individual gate was open. One pearl in the street of the city was pure gold. So there's a streets of gold, like translucent or transparent glass. I saw no temple in it for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple and the city had no need of the son of the moon to shine in it for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light, and the nations of those that are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day in the be no night there. While okay you think I don't know what any of that means, let's talk about it for a little bit etc. wrap our minds around it, because this is one of the most graphic and vivid portraits of heaven and the new earth out.
John is very specific in his measurements very specific in the particular jewels that he references that we are not familiar with many of them at least Anton any speaking of first century language so let's break it down in the categories will start with the sites of the city.
Notice there's no need for the sun, the moon of the stars in the heavenly cities. It shines with the glory of God and radiates with vibrant green sky blue crimson red and shiny golden deep, violent, and much more. The gold is so pure it's more like translucent goal on notice verse 12 says there are 12 gates, there are no walls there to keep us in the gates are open. There are walls and a sense for the more like a ceremonial walls or walls are like monuments that are not there to keep us in. Usually when people build a wall. It's to keep their enemies out like the Great Wall of China or to keep the citizens in like the Berlin wall that is since been knocked down. But these walls are more ornamental and the gates are open and we can go in and out of the new Jerusalem out one thing is mentioned the 12 apostles will lose the 12 apostles surely is not Judas Iscariot, and he lost his position and by the way, Judas was not an innocent is often portrayed in film and another ways he tell the story of Christ is sort of guy who are the right idea and went about it the wrong way and he was misunderstood. No, actually, Judas was like the son of the devil. In fact, the Bible even says Satan entered his heart, so a very wicked man, a very greedy man, so he surely is disqualified. My opinion is the 12 apostles will be the apostle Paul because he is an apostle, he said, born out of due time, which means, though Paul did not have the privilege of walking and talking with the living Lord when he was on this earth like Judas did.
He did see the Lord of the Damascus Road in was brought into that great group of apostles.
I think it will be his name, now what are we going to do when we get to have our really think selfies on the streets of gold and post them on Instagram hashtag. Kevin is so cool I don't know what we can update our status on Facebook or shoot up a quick tweak no chairs. What is so wonderful about heaven in heaven is amazing, but the best thing about heaven. Can anybody guess what the best thing about heaven. That's it. It's Jesus I mean everything else is amazing, but the main thing of heaven is Jesus we want to see Jesus. He said in John 1430 I will come back and take you to be with me Paul over in second Corinthians 58 says when a believer dies, he is present with the Lord. Paul said I desire to depart and be with Christ in Revelation 22 Ford says they'll see his face in his name will be on therefore had so the focus here is not all the cool stuff will see though the be a lot of that for sure, but the focus of heaven.
It is we will see Jesus. Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God listening.
One day you will look into the eyes of Jesus Christ and whoever all the time in the world for you, shall I say all the time in heaven and the new earth. You can ask him anything. You can hear what he has to say to you in response. That is the glory of heaven. Jesus said in John 17. Father, I want those that you given me to be with me so they can see my glory, the glory you gave to me before the world began.
So that's the main thing about heaven. So now let's think about the size of the city. In short, it's really big event is sort of like a big giant queue. We have the measurements in verses 16 to 17, and we read in verse 16 that it's 12,000 furlongs. That clears everything up once a furlong. Well, we don't use that measurement anymore but looking back, we know that a furlong is around 660 feet so we put that together. That means that the new Jerusalem is around 1500 miles in length, height and width if we lay down over the United States. It would cover an area from Canada to Mexico and from LA to St. Louis at about three quarters of our country and that's just the foundation because it goes up to it. I know it's hard for us to understand this just trust me when I check units spit and there's lots of room and you will feel cramped because some people wonder was there enough room in heaven for all the people who died yet. There's plenty of room. Plenty of room in heaven for everybody ready corn in his excellent book heaven said this quote we don't need to worry that heaven will be crowded the ground level of the city will be nearly 2,000,000 mi.� at 40 times bigger than London 10 times as big as France or Germany and larger than India. And remember that just the ground level." Now John compares the glory of God. Verse 11 to a jasper stone would suggest first will notice it says it's clear as crystal. So most likely he is referring to what we would call a diamond today and so gold is the asphalt of heaven, but now we see the special role that the diamond of the Jasper stone plays. Diamonds are very expensive.
Of course there's a lot of very well-known diamonds that are in museums today. The heart of eternity is one diamond worth $16 million. Then there's the famous hope diamond worth $350 million its house in this house in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. Now the story of how that diamond got into the Smithsonian is pretty interesting because I New York diamond merchant Harry Winston decided to donate the hope diamond how to get into the Smithsonian. I'm not making this up.
He Senate US mail in a brown paper bag. That's true.
Can you imagine going to the mail in 000, $350 million. That's why men should never wrap gifts okay could just how irresponsible is that I read that the most valuable diamond on the face of the earth is called the: nor diamond which is basically priceless and means mountain of light in Persian. So imagine the new Jerusalem is a real mountain of light and it sits on a foundation of diamond and indicate leading into the city is made of solid pearl. Chapter 21 verse 21 now pearls come from oysters right.
This is one pearl that must've been one gnarly oyster. This is one pearl. Do you know how pearls are formed, an irritant gets into the shell of an oyster. It forms a mucus around it to protect itself and that becomes what we call a pearls of your wearing a beautiful string of pearls. It's oyster mucus such good enough, enjoy that so I don't know how this pearl comes about. I'm sure God just created a for the special purpose, but this is not the first time we read about pearls in the Bible. Girls were told not to cast pearls before swine, which resulted the holy things of God and give them to people that have no regard for him up. Would not appreciate approval for sure in your people today with their dogs and you know they they think their dogs are like little humans and they put them in little outfits. Do you know your dog doesn't want to wear your stupid outfits then wanted they don't like it. I heard about Olivia pride to put us whether on a pitbull for Christmas and the pitbull wasn't going with that plan and he bit so that you know they don't like it, they really don't want to sit at your table and meet your weird people food you know they want to be dogs and would dogs do and bubble sort of attach human characteristics animals.
Many times others that use of the pearl illustration but then Jesus told the story of a man who went out and found a beautiful pearl and it was so valuable he sold everything he had to buy. It's called the pearl of great price and so even when were in heaven. We see this pearl will be reminded of how we got to heaven. Jesus gave up everything to come to this earth and humble himself as a little baby born in the manger of Bethlehem so reminded the way I got it was through the sacrifice of Jesus who died on the cross for me.
So now we have to realize that we hear about Street to go. That's biblical and we hear about pearly gates. Actually, that's biblical to heard a story about two guys that died on the same day and appeared in heaven that the pearly gates peters there to meet them as he always is in all of these dumb jokes on and one was a New York cabdriver woman is a very famous minister and does so in New York. Cabdriver was first impeded civil welcome to heaven and we have a beautiful place picked out for you over there that mentioned that you are so in the second if I New York cavity Mentioned What Am I Going to Get High Priest the Gospel. I Taught the Word of God.
So the Minister Said Four and Peter Says All Right, Here's Your Place in Heaven. It's a Little Shack down There in the Valley.
The Minister Was Very Angry and It Didn't and He Said Why Would a New York Cabdriver Get a Mention in a Man of God, Get a Shack in the Valley Peter Sibley. Here's the Bottom Line When He Drove People Prayed, but When You Preach People Slap so Serious That It I Want You to Notice in Verse 10, How Jerusalem Is before Us Again. Let Me Wonder of My Notes from Moments a Couple Things about Jerusalem. God Gave the Land of Israel to the Jewish People, That's Their Land.
And Jerusalem Is Their Capital If Our Country or Other Countries Want to Recognize That or Not. It Is When I See This President That's on His Way out Do What He Did to the Nation Israel.
I Find That Completely Outrageous Because These Are God's People.
This Is the Jewish Homeland and They Have Been Our Ally. Our Staunch Ally. Ever since She Became a Nation in 1948 and a Slap Her the Way That This Is Taken Place. It Is Just a Horrible Thing.
I Think the More We Can Do to Help Israel and Help Jerusalem, the Better Will Be for Our Country Because That Blessing Promised to Abraham Will Come Our Way As Well so I Hope Will Move in That Direction and Our New President Resident Trumpet Said We Are Going to Have a Much Stronger Relation Israel.
I Trust That Will Be the Case Because, Listen Jerusalem. It's the City of the Last Days. As I Said before It's the Salvation of the World. Spiritually It's a Storm Center of the World Prophetically Minutes the Glory Center of the World. Ultimately God Said He Would Never Forget Jerusalem and He Told Us to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and Someone 22. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem May All Who Love This City.
All Jerusalem. May There Be Peace within Your Walls and Prosperity in Your Palaces. We Also Know That the Final Conflicts of Mankind Will Happen around Israel and Jerusalem Will Be at the Center of It All. God Says in Zechariah 12 That She Will Be a Burdensome Stone for All People Know Were Talking about the New Jerusalem That's Different Than the Existing Jerusalem of This Is the New Jerusalem, Coming down from Heaven As a Bride Adorned for Her Husband. By the Way, the New Jerusalem Exists Right Now It's a Real City with Real People. And If You Love Ones Who Have Gone on to Glory There. Probably There Are Already Enjoying and Does so When I Get to Heaven, to Find Someone I Know My Son, My Grandmother, My Mother, My Father, Someone Else I Might Know Jesse Okay Tell Me How This Place Works Were Suppressed Place to Get a Burger Because They Have To Have Burgers in Heaven and They Can't Have Calorie You Know What What What You Do Here What Which We See Here A Lot Of Times We Don't Think of Heaven.
That Way When I Go to When You Place I like to Find Someone That's Been There or Lives There and I Think Give Me the inside Track Tell Me the Places They Go the Things to Do. I Would like to Be Prepared. When I Go to a New Place. I Always Pack Wrong No Matter What. It's Very Cold. I Checked the Weather Arrive in a Heat Wave Hits Right or It's Very Warm and I Arrive in a Cold Snap Comes in I We Seem to Have the Wrong Things but Don't You Prepare Ahead of Time.
Now John Tells Us a Little Bit about Our Heavenly Future. It's a Biblical Glimpse into the Afterlife. Revelation 22 Now Go over There. But the Verse One. He Showed Me a Pure River of Water of Life, Clear As Crystal, Proceeding from the Throne of God and of the Lamb in the Middle of the Street, and on Either Side of the River, Was the Tree of Life, Which Bore 12 Fruits, Each Tree Yielding Its Fruit Every Month. The Leaves of the Tree Were for the Healing of the Nations in the Be No More Curse, but the Throne of God and of the Lamb Shall Be in It, and His Servants Shall Serve Him and Those See His Face and His Name Will Be on Their Foreheads and Will Be No Night There Don't Need No Lamp or Light of the Sun for the Lord God Gives Him Life and They Shall Reign Forever and Ever. Now in Chapter 21 Were Given a Glimpse of the New Jerusalem from an Outward Perspective Here in 22 of Revelation We Go inside to See What's Waiting for Us. I Member When As a Little Kid.
I Love to Go to Disneyland. I've Been Going There Ever since I Was Born and so I Remember the Excitement We Drive down the Freeway and I Would See the Top of the Matterhorn's. To Me It Was like the Promise and so We Would Pull into the Parking Lot You Know and Then You Would Get on the Little Tram and You'd Go up and If You'd Walk through the Open Gates of That City and I Was so Excited about by the Wake When Dissing Then Opened in 1955, You Know How Much It Cost to Get It One Dollar. Can You Imagine What Could You Bind Disneyland Today for One Dollar How Much and I and by the Way, in Those Days They Gave You a Ticket Book How Many of You Remember Disneyland to Get All A Lot Of You and What Was the Most Important Ticket in the Book, All While How Yes You're Right the Ticket.
Remember That One. Why Was He Need to Get so Valuable Because That Was the Ticket That Let You Go on the Matterhorn on the Monorail and the Submarine Attraction and so the E Ticket so You Have All of That, You Know, and It's Interesting When You're a Kid. The Most Exciting Part Is Going into Disneyland and When You're an Adult.
The Most Exciting Part Is Leaving Just the Leaving Amateur I'm Just so Tired and I'm Bankrupt Right but I Made up That I Was a Kid I Said South When I Become an Adult. I'm Going to Go to Disneyland Every Single Day and I'm Proud to Say I've Got That Fell No I Haven't but That's All Get Things Right with You When You Go in It so Exciting When You're Younger Especially Well Here Know Were Walking in to Kevin and the New Jerusalem and Seeing What It's All I Can Now the Scriptures. This Gives Us a Description That's Even a Bit More Intimate.
First It Was Described As a Kingdom, Then This Is City. Now It's a Garden in the First Book of the Bible.
Paradise Is Lost in the Last Book of the Bible. Paradise Stopped the First Book of the Bible Genesis Out Of Any Our First Parents Ate of the Forbidden Fruit and We Lost Paradise in the Last Book of the Bible, Revelation Were Given Access Again to the Tree of Life. So Let's Point out A Few Things Are Be Taking Notes.
Heaven and the New Earth Are a Place of Satisfaction Heaven and the New Earth Are a Place of Satisfaction. All of Your Needs Will Be Met.
Your Thirst Will Be Completely Quenched for 17 of Human Thirst, over Desires of Them Take of the Water Frightfully Freely. We Will Be Walking a Little Water Bottles Anymore That Even Start.
You Know, I Can Remember a Time Where You Wanted Water You Drink It Out Of the Faucet or Something Called a Drinking Fountain. Sometimes a Hose. If You're a Dog, a Toilet Always Works Coming Back to God. For a Moment, but You Don't Really Care about Weeds and Took Water Out Of the Tap. We Drank It and All We Have To Have Our Little Water Bottles and Then Some Waters Better Than Other Water and You Know You Want to Get the You Know Evian Evian from Friends France and beyond. The Evian Is Is French for Cost Too Much Okay but You Know but in Heaven, Everybody Will Have Their First Quenched Number Two Heaven and the New Earth or a Place of Sufficiency. Their Place of Sufficiency. Look at Revelation 22 Verse Two in the Middle of the Street on Either Side of the River, Was the Tree of Life, Which Bore 12 Fruits, Each Tree Yielding Its Fruit Every Month. The Leaves of the Tree for the Healing of the Nations Now Have You Ever Heard of the Tree of Life before That's Back in Genesis 2 Member There's Two Primary Trees in Genesis Is a Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
And There's a Tree of Life, so Out Of Any Aid from the Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and They Were Banished from the Tree of Life, They Couldn't Go near the Trail, but There Were Two Armed Angels Same Back off You Not Coming Because If You Eat of the Tree of Life You Live Forever in God Was so Gracious He Would Not Allow Out Of a Need to Live Forever in This Sinful State What Was Lost in Eden Is Regained Again in the Future with Access to the Tree of Life One of Anonymity Will Finally Just Be Hanging out There.
We Can Walk up to Him Say so What Was That like Necessary.
Did You Have To Mess up the Entire Human Race Know You Will Do That by Verse to the Leaves of the Tree Were for the Healing of the Nation's Interest in Because the Word Here for Healing Is from the Greek Word Therapy Here and We Get Our English Word Therapy from Not That Anyone Will Be Sick in Heaven, but It Appears That There Is Health and These Trees Are like Supercharged Vitamins.
Why Is It That All the Things That Taste Good Are Not Good Right I Mean I Don't Know about You and Me. Maybe You're Drawn to Raw Vegetables and You're Drawn to Keel. I Am Not I Am Drawn to Donuts to Pizza to Pasta to Sushi to Breathe Knows I Am Drawn to Every Hamburgers Right.
I'm Drawn to Every Bad Thing, but Here We Find That I Think When We Get to Heaven.
It's Healthy, but It Will Taste Good to so I'm Looking Forward to That. I Did Hear a Story about Old Couple. There Were 85 Years Old. They Both Happen to Die on the Same Day and so They Arrived in Heaven and in This Old Couple Had Really Kept Their Health up through a Daily Regimen of Health Food and Exercise. So They Live Long Lives, but Now There and Gloria and Peter Meet Some of the Pearly Gates of Course This Is Another Two-Story, and That's All There There Escorted to Their Mansion and It's a Beautiful Mansion. It Has a Beautiful Kitchen, Master Bath Suite, Sauna, Jacuzzi Romances, All While How Much Is This Going to Cost Peterson Can Cost You Anything. This Habit Annexed to Go behind Her Home in the Right There in a Beautiful Golf Course and in Fact the Course Would Change a New One Every Day Representing One of the Great Golf Courses on Earth, and the Old Guys Is One of the Green Fees.
Peter Says Green Fees.
This Is Heaven. Everything Is Free.
Then They Go to the Clubhouse and Are Just Amazing Things There on the Table the Finest Foods Imaginable Romances How Much Is a Car Seat All This Food, and Peter Says It Cost You Nothing. You Are in Heaven and Vacuum You Need As Much As You Want, Whenever You like and You Will Never Get Fed and You'll Never Get Sick Because Are in Heaven, and the Old Guy Takes His Hat off and Throws It on the Ground Starts Stomping on It and Peter and His Wife Say What Is Wrong with You. He Said to His Wife. If You Hadn't Fed Me Almost Blasted Bran Muffins. We Would've Been Here 10 Years Ago. Heaven Is Better Than Earth.
Your Greatest Moments on Earth. Think about It for a Moment.
This Is Probably One of Them Right Now.
My Right Hearing Me Preach No I Know It Isn't No Stop. It Isn't. If It Is You Need to Get out More. But Thank You Thank You Anyway for That to Give You Greatest Moments of Maybe It Was Their Wedding Day. Maybe It Was the Birth of Your First Child Maybe Was a Day You Accepted Christ Occurs That Is the Greatest of All. Maybe It Was Just a Special Moment Someone You Love. You Just Those Moments That Sort of Stay with Us Sick. Take That Little Glimpse and Realize That Just a Taste of Greater Things to Come Out Of It Whatever Was at the Taste of Greater Things to Come. Now Everything Is Realize That We Are in Heaven, and the Curse Is Gone.
Verse Three Will Be No More Curse.
The Worst Part of the Curse That Came upon Humanity Because of the Sinemet of Adam and Eve Was Death Itself and Were Reminded of This Curse Each and Every Day. Three People Die Every Second Hundred and 80 People Die Every Minute 11,000 People Die Every Hour.
On Any Given Day 250,000 People Are Dying in the Rendering Eternity, but When Were in Heaven There Is No More Discussions about Death That Subject Is behind Us Were in This Wonderful Place with There's No More Curse or Heard about a Little Boy and His Mom Walking on the Beach and They Came upon a Dead Sea Goal and Probably Dead Because I Killed It Because He Was Flying Out Of My Luncheon on Kitty Because Some of Take That Seriously Write Me Letters Because They Don't Have a Life. But Anyway, so the Walk along the Beach Is a Dead Sea Goal and the Little Guy Looks at the Sequences Mommy What Happened with the Bird, Will You Know She Did. This Is Going to Be Heavy Simply Talk about with a Child and and so She She Didn't Want to Get to the Harsh Reality of Death. She Said Will Honey That the Siegel I Got Allowed It to Drive It Now Is in Heaven. So the Board Was Thinking about Is Looking at the Bird Ln., LegalZoom why did God throw it back because just makes no sense. Number three heaven and the new earth or place of service to verse three.
His servants shall serve him make. This is very important to know because sometimes we will talk about just laying around, lounging around in heaven and sort of lazy boys choose the lazy boy chairs made out of clouds or something you know I was to lay around in evident out well actually no, we will rest. Of course, but then it says were going to be busy.
I mean, I don't know about you, I like vacations to a degree, but then once I'm sort of revitalize I want to get back to what I'm passionate about, which is walking with Jesus, bringing other people to Jesus. Sharing the word of God with people and doing what I can for the kingdom of God and you wonder what were there serving the Lord. If we will not be able to finish tasks that were started but never completed on earth. Maybe dreams that were shattered will be fulfilled that because heaven is a place for tragedy turns to triumph a place for sadness turns to joy. Heaven is a place for disability turns to ability on my Facebook page I posted a question and I said what are you looking forward most when you get to heaven and I told the story of walking on the stairs with one of my grandchildren, a Lucy and so when we go announcers a solution we can go downstairs than normal landholding or we can go downstairs the fun way because the fun way. What that means is I can just grab my arm and just every surge can shake her up and down you know she loves that gets on the bottom so she came up to the other day and said pop in heaven.
We used to carry me down the stairs in the fun way so that for Lucy was like something she enjoy and wanted to see in heaven start that there was kind of sweet.
So I told that story and then I said to folks that are my friends on Facebook, my friends, but they call salsa.
I don't know them but they're okay but I said what are you looking forward to most in heaven.
Facebook friends and people came up with some very good stuff actually, because people read my page from all over the world and one lady from New Zealand. Her name was Liz.
She said meeting my babies. I aborted about while getting them in the my arms and loving them as I should have done on earth. Thank God for his son in his life and his bloodshed for a sinner like me. I look forward to that day that she says maybe I can take them down the stairs the fun way to any and I believe when a child is aborted.
They go straight to heaven. By the way, that in no way excuses the horrible act of abortion which is the murder of an unborn child is no other way to look at it because life begins at conception. But having said that God's is gracious and welcomes a little one in the heavens you will. How do you know that great because Jesus said, let the little ones come onto me and don't forbid them from such is the kingdom of heaven. So I believe she will be reunited with her little ones. Christina wrote my sister is handicap. She can't walk or talk. We have the special bond and I pray one day and haven't one of a long conversation full of happiness in them will walk together hand-in-hand, and maybe even danced a little yell that'll happen. Peter wrote about what he look forward to most in heaven. He said to see my wife and older son again. My son was only 26 when he went to be with the Lord in June 2006 my wife was only 49 when she went to be with the Lord February of this year. I miss them so much. I look forward to being with them again in the presence of the Lord. He will be with them again that the hope of the Christian.
Jennifer wrote I'd like to talk to my daughter she severely autistic. I want to hear what life look like summarized to understand or that would be heaven. Indeed, that'll happen to ventilating and Crystal wrote.
I'm looking forward to holding my sweet baby boy David. He passed away at eight months old and I can't wait to experience his first words is first time running see him grow up in heaven. Most of all, I can't wait for him to introduce me to our Savior. These are the hopes of people right and you could probably add a few lines to that yourself things you hope for.
This is when God is going to satisfy, and God is going to grant these things that we long for.
Here's another thing you going to do in heaven. Maybe not thought of. But it's true.
You can laugh in heaven still like to laugh. I do, I like to crack jokes all the time. I think you've noticed that I didn't say they're funny but I can't come. I just throw them out there see what happened but will be laughter in heaven. I think it's great when there's laughter in church. I love laughter and I think will be the same thing when we get up to heaven because Luke 621 says God blesses the war among those who are hungry now and you'll be satisfied. God blesses those who weep now, don't come a day when you will laugh with joy so the be joy in heaven.
I like what CS Lewis said.
He said joy is a serious business of heaven.
In his presence. The psalmist writes is fullness of joy on his right hand pleasures for evermore. This is all waiting for who it's waiting for the man of the woman who was put their faith in Jesus Christ. What about the person who is not believed in Jesus all they won't get there. You know you will go to heaven heaven is not the default destination of every person. Autonomy good and because I'm an American. Nona, you mentioned sorry has to come a moment and every person's life where they asked Jesus Christ to forgive them of their sin and when you turn from your sin and put your faith in Jesus. You can know with assurance, with certainty that you will go to heaven go back to that statement of Christ that I mentioned from John 14, since we don't know where you're going.
We don't know the way.
And Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the father but by me. God is only dropped one lifeline from heaven and it's the cross that Christ died on so when we say Jesus is the only way to heaven were only repeating what Christ himself said he did not come to be a great moral teacher CS Lewis said he is not left that open to us. He came and made radical claims he claimed to be the son of God, and he claimed to be God the son, and he claimed to be the only way to the father but how could that be will.
Here's how. Could be. There is no man that is ever walked this earth that was fully God and fully man. At the same time Jesus was not a man who became God because that's impossible, but he is God who became a man.
I walked among us, God had a face and he had skin and he walked in this world that we live in. And then he went to the cross and died for us and absorb God's judgment. In our place. And he rose again from the dead and now Jesus, who lived in died and rose and ascended and is coming one day stands at the door of every one of our hearts in Enoch's these visible hear his voice and open the door he will come in. So in closing I want to ask you has Jesus come into your life. You do you know right now with complete certainty that if you were to die tonight and listen.
People are going to die tonight. Our dimensional stats. How many people die each and every day. Three people die every second 180 every minute 11,000 every hour, 250,000 people again. Enter eternity in this day before it's over.
Don't think you couldn't be one of them. I don't think I couldn't be one of them. I don't know when my time will come, but I'm ready for heaven because heaven is a prepared place for prepared people in Jesus that I've gone to prepare a place for you. So my question to you is are you prepared is how I get prepared to say to God, I'm sorry for my sin and I asked Jesus to come in the my life. I choose to follow him. From this moment forward.
If you've not done that to it now doing is right that beginning of a new year when a perfect time to do it and now begin to discover God's wonderful plan for your life. And then he is a plan for your afterlife to Jesus is not just promised life after death. He also promises life during life I just interviewed Dr. James Dobson for a radio program actually interviewed me for his radio program that I interviewed him for our radio program and so is a lot of interviewing going on and he's such a wonderful guy. He's 80 years old now.
One of the things we talked about was as you get older. How much more appealing afterlife. Part of salvation becomes. You know when you're young and you come to Christ are kind of thinking what's the meaning of life. What's the purpose of life.
I want a life worth living. And that's fine because Christ gives you that purpose, and he gives you that many which are not thinking as much about you know the afterlife you're thinking about this life in Jesus.
As I come to give you life and that more abundantly. So you find the meaning in our purpose, but as time passes and you get older and older, and pretty soon people, you know, that are your age are dying, you start thinking about that after your life a little more and that thing that maybe you didn't fully appreciate as much is now becoming the greatest part of all.
Really when you stop and think about the best part of being a Christian is not just having meaning and purpose in life. It's that I don't have to go to hell.
Line that's that's good right there is you don't have to go to hell. I'm very happy with that and you get to go to heaven. Now I'm really really happy with that. Christ will give you life during life, life after death.
But if you say no to Jesus you get neither.
You have an empty, pointless life with the fleeting pleasures that come and go very quickly and then you have an afterlife separated from God for all eternity you want to. So if you want your sins forgiven. If you want Jesus to come in your life if you want to go to heaven when you die you pray right now and I want to give you an opportunity to believe in him and, if necessary, an opportunity to change your eternal address from hell to heaven. Let's pray father we've heard your word now. I pray for folks that are here that may not yet know you.
I pray your Holy Spirit will speak to the hearts and just wake him up. Lord is are not fairytales.
These are not myths and these are not fables.
This is the word of God.
This is the truth and I pray that they'll understand that and I pray that the believe in you.
Now Elinor has about in her eyes are closed, praying how many of you would say tonight Greg, I want to go to heaven when I die, I want my sin forgiven. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. Pray for me if you want him to forgive you of your sin if you want to go to heaven when you die if you want to find the meaning and purpose of life. If you want your guilt taken away wherever you are, what you lift your hand up on the pray for you that your hand up.
I reckon see it, but you publish you you you you you. Many of you are raising your hand God bless you on the Isle there anybody else raise your hand up if you ever raised it yet publish you, bless you might be a few more listen you. You decide where you would spend eternity. God doesn't decide he wants you to join him in heaven, but he gives you a free will.
That means you have to choose you either choose for our you choose against Jesus to not say yes to him is to say no to him what your choice anybody else.
You want Christ to come in your life tonight. You're not sure if you go to heaven you're not sure you're ready for the Lord's return. Raise your hand up when we pray for you anybody else. God bless you. Anybody else raise of the pie, should I have just about maybe some of you would say you know I am a Christian man. I've been living in a really bad way in the sinful web and doing things I'm ashamed of and I need to recommit my life to Christ because I'm not where I should be. Pray for me at that your desire. If you need to make a recommitment or come back to Jesus, would you raise your hand up right now. Let me pray for you, bless you, but you don't be embarrassed you're among family and friends here tonight, bless you. Anybody else, solitude father. Now I think you for these that have taken this first step help them to take the next one we ask in Jesus name, amen