Living In The Light

Here's Ann Graham Lutz. Your children, your grandchildren, your neighbor, your friend—those that you share the gospel with—you plant that seed, and at some point, it blossoms into faith, and they receive Christ. And it's partly because of your witness and your sharing the gospel that they're in heaven. Those are the treasures we're to lay up. That was Anne Graham Lotz, and you're listening to the weekly program Living in the Light.

And today, Ann continues in her study of the Book of Revelation from chapter 21. We learn from Ann that if you are a believer, heaven is your home. You have a birthright. And today, she'll explain your guidebook about heaven, because heaven is prepared. It's perfect.

It's a physical place, and it's also populated. Let's discover more with part two of Ann's message: Hope as we look homeward. Heaven is a safe place. Nobody's going to break through those walls and steal or rob or rape. No drive-by shootings.

No guns. No bombs. No terrorists. No missiles. No wars at all.

No violent crime. No flash mobs. It's a safe place, and as our world gets crazier and crazier, and the violence seems to creep into even our neighborhoods, we're going home to a place where we'll never have to be afraid, never worry. We're going to a place where somebody can't get in if they're not supposed to be inside. Heaven is a safe place.

When my children were little, my grandchildren were little. You know, we want to keep them safe, so we hold their hands when we walk across the street, and you make sure that we've got little caps on the electrical outlets, and put the chemicals that we clean with up out of their reach, and the medicines have childproof caps, except. I always have to ask a child how to open it, you know. But you know what I mean.

So we're trying to keep our children safe.

So if we care that much about their physical safety, have you thought about their eternal safety? When have you shared the gospel with your children? I see so many of you here must be close to my age. When have you shared the gospel with your grandchildren? And if you're like my sister Gigi with your great grandchildren, what are you doing to make your your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren are safe in eternity?

So, and not only our children, but that just—it's on my heart. Maybe. Just the people around you, somebody you know who's been the victim of a violent crime, or somebody who's been robbed in your neighborhood, or can you just share with them that there is a place that's being prepared where they'll never have to be afraid again?

So John sees these great high walls. And then he sees next. He looks underneath the walls, and there's a foundation.

So in verse 14, there are 12 foundations. On them were the names of the 12 apostles. And verse 19 said that each foundation was decorated with every kind of precious stone. I mean, you look at a city that's 1,500 square mile cube, and you look at walls that surround the city, 200 feet thick, and then you look underneath the walls. There are 12 foundations, each one.

A different precious stone, and on the foundations carved the names of the apostles. And John is looking at this and describing it. What did he think when he saw his name written on the foundation? Oh my goodness! This is my home.

And everything I've been through—the persecution and the flogging and the beating and the exile on Patmos—it's worth it. I'm home, and I think of Abraham. Hebrew says that he left Ur of the Chaldees, looking for that city whose builder and maker was God—a city with foundations. I hope I either see Abraham coming to the city, or I want to watch a video. What did his face look like when he sees that city with all those foundations?

And no, this is what he was looking for when he left Ur. He's come home. But I think it also means something else. I think it means that heaven is a very stable place. And our world, what was right yesterday is wrong today.

What was wrong yesterday is right today. And it's craziness out there. People demanding to be called with whatever pronoun, offended when you don't use whatever you know, saying that there how many genders and. We've left our foundation of faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and so now our nation is built on shifting sand. It's just going every which way, and it's going to get worse until we crumble unless we return to God.

But heaven is stable, steadfast. It does not move.

So you never have to be afraid of any tremor like in England or earthquake like they have in California. Or it's absolutely stable. And then he saw the streets. In verse twenty one, the great street of the city was of pure gold, and that would look like. A mirror going through the city, reflecting the light of the glory of Jesus Christ throughout the entire city.

That in itself would be beautiful, but it might mean something else. My mother, she had her little quips and she had her little insights, and so she said, "You know, she wondered if it meant this—that down here on earth, gold is one of our most precious commodities, right?

So we." Buy it and sell it and try to get more of it, and we wear it and we hoard it. If you think of gold, it's like our standard almost of what's valuable. And she said, "Down here, it's a valuable commodity, but in heaven, it's just asphalt. You just pave the streets with it." So then she said. Could it be that it's talking about our priorities, and that what we give so much time and attention to down here, we devote so much effort, we sacrifice to get it, to keep it, to hoard it, to get more of it?

And could it be that what we're focused on has no eternal value at all, and the things that have eternal value we seem to neglect and think they're insignificant?

So you might want to check your priorities. How much time and effort and energy are you expending on that which has no eternal value? And I know we all have to go to the grocery store, and we all have to do our job, and we all have to do. But I'm talking about as we go, can we be making disciples like Jesus told told us in Matthew 28? Can we have the gospel on our lips?

Can we have Jesus shining from our face? Can we even in those mundane things that we're doing? Be bearing witness to who Jesus is and who Jesus is not only to us, but who it can be to that next person. And there are two things you can take with you to heaven, two treasures you can lay up. Jesus said, "Lay up your treasures in heaven.

Don't lay them up on earth, where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal." You lay up your treasures in heaven. There are two things you can lay up. One is your own character. As you develop it, and you spend time in God's Word, and you read God's Word, you apply God's Word, you live it out, and you obey it, and live your life in obedient faith. And as you do, you conform to the image of Jesus, and you can take your character there and take your character to heaven.

You could also, in a sense, take somebody else. Your children, your grandchildren, your neighbor, your friend—those that you share the gospel with—and maybe they don't actually pray with you to receive Christ, but you plant that seed, and at some point, it blossoms into faith, and they receive Christ, and it's partly because of your witness and your sharing the gospel that they're in heaven. Those are the treasures we're to lay up. So, reexamine your priorities. Put as much effort.

Into things that have eternal value, as you do with, you know, the mundane everyday responsibilities. And then perhaps my favorite aspect of the physical appearance of heaven are the gates. They're amazing. In verse twelve, it says it had a great high wall with twelve gates. And then down in verse.

Twenty-one says the twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each gate was made of a single pearl, and think how big the pearls were. To hang in walls that were two hundred feet thick.

So, do you know how a pearl is formed? It's when a little grain of sand gets inside of an oyster. And the oyster feels the irritation, and so he begins to cover that grain of sand with a layer of mother of pearl until he can no longer feel the irritation.

So, if these pearls are big enough to be gates and hang in walls that were 200 feet thick, what kind of suffering did that oyster go through to create a pearl like that? And I wonder if the gates themselves are speaking of the cross. And the pearl of great price that suffered and died to open heaven for you and me. And people who say the cross is not necessary—that there are other ways to God. Every time we walk through those gates, that pearl, we're going to be reminded.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for your blood. Thank you that you've opened heaven for me.

Through the cross and resurrection, beautiful gates of pearl. Nobody will go through these gates unless they've been to the cross, and so that brings us to the populated home because heaven is prepared, it's perfect, it's a physical place. It's also populated. It's not just a showplace. I remember going through Buckingham Palace, as I told you, and nowhere did I see a toy or a sweater thrown over the back of a chair or a teacup beside.

You know, it was what I saw was like a museum. It was a showplace. Heaven is not like that. Heaven is a home where God the Father lives, and God the Son lives, and God the Holy Spirit lives.

So. In verse 22, I did not see a temple in the city because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The temple is where God dwells. Do you remember?

So, in the most holy place of God's presence, the entire city is the most holy place. The city did not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. I was reminded when I used to. Drive up. I'm about three and a half hours east, and I would drive up to see my mother and daddy when she was here.

And my mother always, when she knew I was coming, she had a big post in the driveway. On the top of the post was a birdhouse, but underneath that was a lamp or a lantern that dangled. And when she knew I was coming home, she would turn the light on for me.

So as I would drive up that winding driveway, after I'd gone three and a half hours, if it was warm enough, I'd roll down the windows. Because I love to hear the night sounds, the katydids and the crickets, and I love to feel the night breeze. And but when I come around that last bend, I'm looking for that lantern to see if the light is on, to see if my mother is expecting me. As I come around that bend, and the light is left on for me, and I can't—I don't know how my mother did this, but she, while she was ambulatory, she was always at the door waiting to greet me.

So listen to me. Jesus has left the light on for you, and when you enter into heaven, He's going to be right there to welcome you home. He knows that exact second of time, the exact moment, either at your death or His return, when He catches it up to be with Himself. But He's personally. Going to take you into the heaven.

Can you imagine the joy he has in showing you what he's prepared for you?

So inside of those walls, the Lord God, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and His loved ones—those of us who've been to the cross, put our faith in Him. Verse seven. Going back to the beginning, chapter twenty one, verse seven, he who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.

So, what do we have to overcome to inherit all this? And I think we have to overcome our pride. That says, you know, we don't really have to come to the cross. We can just have more good works and bad works. He'll let us in and.

God is a loving God. He's going to have everybody in heaven anyway. And you have to overcome your pride, your unbelief, your religiosity. Humble yourself like a child. Come to the cross.

Tell God you're sorry for all the wrong things you've done. Ask Him to forgive you, to cleanse you with the blood of Jesus. Believing Jesus died for you, you believe He rose from the dead to give you eternal life. You receive the eternal life He offers. You open up your heart.

You invite Him to come in as your Lord and as your Savior, and follow Him all the way through life, all the way to heaven. And you overcome, and you inherit. This is heaven is your inheritance. No one can take it from you. Do you know that?

So it's sealed, signed, and it will be delivered when you step into eternity. This is your home. But I'm going to tell you something else, okay? And I'm telling this to you not because I think it applies to you, but because I want to motivate you to share the gospel. Verse eight.

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. There are two places being prepared in the universe at this time. One is heaven. For God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit to live with the loved ones who come to the cross and put their faith in Jesus, and the other place that's being prepared is hell. It's prepared for the devil and his demons, but for all those who refuse God's gracious offer of salvation.

So, I am going to describe both in contrast to each other to you, okay? And these are biblical. I won't give you the references, but. Just for the sake of time, hell is a place that's described as great suffering, weeping, gnashing of teeth. Only time I can remember gnashing my teeth was in childbirth.

It's because it hurt. And hell is a place of physical torment. Heaven. Is a place where there's no more suffering, no more death, no more crying, no more pain. Hell is described as a bottomless pit.

If I fell into a bottomless pit, I would feel I was always in danger. I was never safe. I'd always be scared to death. Heaven is a place that's safe and secure within those 200 foot walls. Hell is described as a lake.

Undulates and changes. You never feel like you're on solid ground. Heaven is described as a place that has twelve foundations. You'll never be shaken. Hell is described as a place of total darkness, where the sun never rises, never shines.

You know the the times when I'm sick, when the pain is the worst, is in the middle of the night in the darkness, when there's nothing to distract me from it. And to be in hell, a place of physical torment and pain, and to have it black—nothing to distract you from the pain and the memories and the agony, the hatred, the anger—all those memories we talked about coming back in a rush—and just hell is described as a place of solitary confinement. Did I finish on heaven on that one? Did I leave heaven out? There's no more night, no more darkness in heaven.

We just read that verse that the Lamb is the light of heaven; that there'll never be darkness in heaven. Hell is a place described as a place of solitary confinement, where you'll be all alone. You know, people say, "I want to go to hell because all my friends are going to go down there, and we're going to have a party." And well, your friends may be there, but you'll never see them. You might hear their cries. But you won't see them.

Heaven, on the other hand, is a place where the kings of the nations bring their glory into it, and God's children live with each other and with Him forever and ever. Hell is a place described as a fire, a place of intense thirst, dissatisfaction, torment. Remember that parable when Jesus, the guy said, "Can I just put a drop of water on his tongue?" He was down in hell, and he could. There was no way to alleviate the Tremendous thirst, dissatisfaction, knowing that you are created by God for God, but you just never be fulfilled in that. Heaven is a place where the river of the water of life continuously flows from the throne.

The worst part of hell is that it's absolutely devoid of God's presence, the one you're created for, the one who loves you. Sent His Son to redeem you with His own blood. The King who would have ruled your life, to give you purpose and fulfillment. The King who would have come to take you to be with Him forever and ever, and you'll never see Him. Heaven, on the other hand, is a place where we serve God and we see His face.

Who do you know who's going to hell? Can I tell you that God doesn't condemn anyone to hell? It's our own sin that condemns us there.

So when we're born into the human race, we're born with a sinful nature. We are sinners, and when we're old enough, we act it out. And if we don't do anything about it, when we step into eternity, we go to hell because we're sinners. That's why God sent Jesus. Do you hear me?

That's why God so sent Jesus because He loves you, and He sent Jesus to save us from hell, to save us from the consequences of our sin, to save us for heaven. I think a lot of people are going to hell, but they don't know they have the choice to go to heaven. And we don't have to force anybody to make that choice, but I want them to at least be informed, so they know that it's their choice, and they can choose heaven or they can choose hell.

So, verse twenty-seven. We'll just go to the last verse in this passage. Because the last verse says, "Nothing impure will ever enter into heaven, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." So, how do you get your name written in the Lamb's book of life? And I'm just—I know I'm sort of beating this drum, okay?

You get your name written in the Lamb's book of life when you come to the cross. And you come by faith, and you humble yourself, and you confess that you are a sinner, that you've done wrong things, and you are sorry, and you are willing to turn away from your sin. And you tell God you believe Jesus died on the cross to take away your sin. You ask Jesus to be your savior. You ask God to cleanse you and forgive you of all your past, present, future sin.

You believe Jesus rose up from the dead to give you eternal life. You receive the eternal life that He offers you. Open up your heart. You invite Him to come inside of you, and Jesus will come into you in the person of the Holy Spirit. That's the same thing.

All right, you're inviting Jesus to come in in the person of the Holy Spirit, and He will never leave you, never forsake you. And you choose to surrender Him and you follow Him all the way through your life, all the way to heaven. But when you come to the cross and you make that commitment, your name is written in the Lamb's book of life. And those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be welcomed into their heavenly home. Several years ago, I was invited to the White House, and I had to RSVP.

They wanted my Social Security number, they wanted my license number. I was glad they didn't ask for my weight and all that, but you know.

So the day came. I went to the gate that leads into the White House, and I gave them my name, my driver's license, and they looked down the list and they said, "Oh yes, Mrs. Lotts. We see that you've been invited and you RSVP'd," and they ushered me through the gate into the White House. I could have showed up at the White House and had my invitation clutched in my hand and said, "You know, the president wants to have breakfast with me and give the guard my name." And he'd look down the list and he'd say, "Well, I'm Mrs.

Lots. I don't see your name here." And I said, "Well, I know he's invited me. Look, here's my invitation." And he would look down the list and say, "But Mrs. Lots, we don't see your name. Did you RSVP?

Oh no, I didn't RSVP. I was too busy. I neglected. But I know he wants to have breakfast with me. Look, here's the invitation." And the guard could say, "I can see the invitation.

I know the president wanted to have breakfast with you, but Mrs. Lotts, you didn't RSVP, so you can't go in." God has invited everybody to come live with Him forever in His heavenly home, but you must RSVP. No one can do it for you. You must. Come to the cross, claim Jesus as your Savior, surrender to Him as your Lord, invite Him into your life, have your name written on that list.

So when you show up at Heaven's Gate, and the guard—I don't think it's Saint Peter, but you know—you just go down that list, and your name is written right there. The gates are flung wide, Jesus is right there to meet you, welcome you into the home that He's prepared for you. You talk about hope. Where do we find hope? We find hope when we look homeward.

Everything else can shatter, crumble all around us. Nuclear strike, another kind of COVID. Whatever happens, personally, financially, we can have a financial crash. Go to that digital currency where they seize our bank accounts and only give us so much, whatever, if we please them. Whatever happens, we're going home.

So keep looking homeward. You're just a pilgrim passing through. You're the Father's child, and you're going home. To help and encourage you in your work for the Lord, we invite you to angramlots.org. It's a great opportunity to further read, study, live by, and love God's Word.

You'll find Ann's daily blog, her messages, Bible studies, books, audio, and video that will enhance your study. Your going forward that Ann spoke of today. And plan to join us again for Living in the Light.