When We All Get to Heaven | Part 2

From the Love Word Finding studios in Memphis, Tennessee, I'm Byron Tyler, here with Kerry Vaughn, the CEO of Love Word Finding. Kerry, we continue in our series, The Sweetest Bellowship This Side of Heaven, with Adrian Rogers. Today, part two, a message called, When We All Get to Heaven. It'll be okay when we all get to heaven, right? Heaven is filled with his glory and grace.

Amen. Remember that song we sang in Sunday school? I do. I do.

I do. You know, Jesus said, Where I am, there you may be also. You know the way to the place where I'm going. And then he comes back in verse six and says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And so that's our assurance of when we all get to heaven, because he is the way, he is the truth, and he is the life. This is something that happens in the radio, in times we could ask him questions about what was on his heart, and he always loved to talk about heaven. And here's one time when he spoke about heaven. Well, you know, I often tell our people here at our church that everything that is going to happen eventually will. And that may sound nonsensical, but heaven is a real place, and we are going there. we sing about heaven and talk about heaven as if well it's really just something to sing about and talk about but if we're saved we are going there and i would like to encourage our listeners to ask themselves this question when i get to where i'm headed where will i be because everybody's either headed toward heaven or hell i want to go to heaven and that's not mere sentimentality i want to go and by the grace of god i am you know i think about our friends and loved ones and you know we can never bring them back but we can go where they are and that should be the the zeal that should be the focus that should be the kingdom push for all of us is that we can go where they are it is a real place and it is waiting on us carrie it is waiting on us and there might be some asking the question how could i know for sure if i'm going to be able to go to heaven when i die adrian rogers had a way of explaining that and he said this well i explained to them it's just the opposite if i thought that i just might get to heaven by my own efforts that would be arrogance but the truth of the matter is it's the mark of the greatest humility and independence to say i know that i know not because of what i've done but because of what jesus has done and it takes the emphasis off the self and puts the emphasis upon the lord jesus christ i've said before i wouldn't trust the best 15 minutes i ever lived to get me to heaven i'm so grateful for the grace of god and therefore when i say i know it's not self-confidence it's christ confidence and i think it's the confidence of the cross and i go back to john 14 6 it says i am the way the truth and the life no one and it means no one comes to the father except through him well adrian rogers said a rich man is poor without jesus a strong man is weak without jesus and an educated man is ignorant until he comes to know the lord jesus christ to know him more and the power of his resurrection well we love hearing from our listeners carrie and i believe you have somebody who wrote to us recently i do it says i just wanted love worth finding ministries to know what a blessing you were to me while i was deployed in iraq your broadcast was something i had to look forward to i can't say thank you enough for what your ministry has done for me or others in the military please continue in the work of the lord and remember the deployed servicemen and women and their families in prayer daily oh that just really touches my heart care to think about that this broadcast is reaching the world well to think about the footprint right so we think about 200 countries we think about radio tv social media internet it's all there every medium right to reach people for the cause of christ well with today's message with adrian rogers when we all get to heaven part two get your bible and turn to first john chapter three now not everybody is enjoying life as a matter of fact to borrow a phrase from another many are living lives of quiet desperation not if you know jesus not if you know jesus friend to know jesus is life eternal jesus said i've come that you might have life and have it abundantly first john 3 verse 1 behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called now watch this the sons of god therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not beloved now are we the sons of god and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure now the three things i want you to think about today i want you to think about the christian dignity and i want you to think about the christian destiny and i want you to think about the christian's duty and they're all right here and so you can remember that now folks listen we are not just called sons of god we are sons and daughters of god now did that sink into you that may not sink into you but friend listen if i am a child of god i'm a royal blue blood i'm a child of the king just call me prince adrian i am a child of the king and so are you behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of god now here's the second thing because it gets better not only do you see our dignity and what we are but now notice our destiny and what we will be now continue to read beloved now are we the sons of god and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is that is incredible now what john is telling us is first of all there's some things we don't know that ought to be very comforting to you to know there's some things that you're not supposed to know you know one of the ways to give a good witness for the lord jesus christ just to tell what you know not what you don't know so many of us are afraid to witness because we're afraid somebody's going to ask us a question we don't know the answer to don't worry about it let me give you the perfect answer just say i don't know isn't that a good answer you know if you tell people that you don't know when you don't know then maybe they'll believe you when you tell them you do know when you do know when will rogers said that men don't show their ignorance by not knowing so much as they do by knowing so much that ain't so and there's certain things that you don't know and there are a lot of things about the future that you don't know and don't worry about it these things have been kept from us on purpose when the apostle paul was caught up into the third heaven he saw their things not lawful for man to utter jesus said i have many things to tell you but you're not able to bear them daniel said seal up the prophecy it's for the time at the end there's just a lot of things folks we don't know what are we going to be like when we get to heaven what we're going to look like what age will be what will we eat what you don't know don't even try to answer those questions friend a four-year-old can ask questions nobody can answer except god so don't try to explain everything that we're going to be like in our resurrection body i don't know we have hints we have clues there's some things we can't be dogmatic about but friend there's something we can be bulldogmatic about that is we're going to be like jesus and that's good enough for me now it does not yet appear what we should be like but we know that when he shall appear we should be like him for we shall see him as he is actually there are three things that are mentioned here that we can certainly know first of all that christ is going to appear jesus christ is coming back to this earth now he didn't say if he shall appear but when he shall appear christ is coming back to this earth now it's like a great drama in two acts in act one there are five scenes there's the birth at Bethlehem scene one then there's the lad of Nazareth and the preacher of Galilee scene two and scene uh three there is the preacher and the miracle worker scene four there's the crucified son of god scene five there's the buried risen and ascended christ and then the curtain comes down that's the first act and five scenes and now we're waiting for the second act to begin and christ is now uh standing in the wings getting ready to step back on the stage of human history only this is not a make believe drama it is real jesus went to glory he's coming back to glory he appeared once he is coming back to this earth literally visibly actually christ is coming again he is coming again bank on it it is true jesus is coming again he will appear that's one thing we know now the second thing we know we will see him as he is that's what this verse says look at it beloved now are we the sons of god and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall see him now watch this not as he was but as he is now as he was that's when he was here in his humanity walking the dusty shores of galilee but we're going to see him when he comes again resplendent in his glory i refer to you that prayer in john chapter 17 sometime just sit back and read and read and reread and reread again john chapter 17 because it concerns you jesus christ is praying for you and this is what he prays in john chapter 17 verse 5 and now oh father glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory i had with you before the world began before god hurled this planet out into space before god flung out the sun moon and stars before god scooped out the oceans and heaped up the mountains and dotted the hillsides with flowers before god breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life the lord jesus was there in the bosom of the father glorified and he says now father i'm getting ready to go back to that glory i came out of the ivory palaces into this world of woe but now father it's done glorify me father with the glory that i had with you before the world began now get ready for this now get ready for this john 17 verse 24 here's what jesus prayed for you father i will that they also whom thou has given me may be with me where i am that they may behold my glory glory that they may behold my glory you know ever so often we have a loved one that goes on to heaven you know what blesses me more than anything else about a loved one in heaven it's not streets of gold or gates of pearl it is that they are beholding the glory of jesus christ can you imagine that can you imagine listen what john says is what we do know is this that he will appear and we will see him as he is oh that will be glory for me here's the third thing that we know number one he's going to appear number two we're going to see him and number three we're going to be like him look again in verse two when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and notice that he links these two being like him and seeing him together did you know if you were to see him right now you would disintegrate i mean you couldn't bear it in your body right now without being transformed you couldn't look upon him i was meditating on this verse first timothy chapter 6 verses 14 through 16 these may be some of my favorite verses paul is telling timothy that thou keep this commandment without spot unrebucible now watch this until the appearing of our lord jesus christ he's talking about the same thing that john is talking about which in his times he will show who is the blessed only and only potent hate the king of kings and the lord of lords who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto now just pause here just for a moment jesus dwells in such glory that you could not even begin to approach to we have sent a man to the moon do you think we'll ever send one to the sun no no nobody can approach to the sun i'm talking about the s-u-n now the lord jesus dwells in light that no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen nor can see to whom be honor and power everlasting amen put this together that means we'll have to be like him to see him as he is i mean if we were not made like him our eyes could not stand the sight but we are going to be like him and we're going to see him as he is now you can ask me a lot of questions but folks i want to tell you three things and you listen to me carefully jesus is going to appear we're going to see him and we're going to be like him that's the reason the psalmist said i shall be satisfied when i awaken in thy likeness adrian what's the resurrection body going to be like adrian what is heaven going to be like i can't tell you but i'll tell you this much you'll be satisfied you will like it i shall be satisfied when i awaken in thy likeness now we have talked about our dignity and what we are sons of god we have talked about our destiny what we shall be like him now let's get to the bottom line and talk about our duty what we should be verse three and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure now what does that mean to us today you know it's one thing to talk about our dignity and our destiny don't you think it's about time we talk a little bit about our duty don't you think we ought to say what does this mean to me what does this mean to you every man that hath this hope in him purify himself even as he is pure let me mention some things concerning the coming of the lord jesus that ought to be real in your life number one you ought to be looking for his coming you know what the word hope means the word hope in the bible means absolute certainty mingled with anticipation sometimes my brother and i'd get in a fight in the backseat of the car we'd be out for sunday drive my dad said when you get home i'm going to give you boys a licking that was certainty but there was no anticipation not glad anticipation all right you see the coming of jesus is a divine certainty mingled with i can hardly wait for it to get here and you and i ought to be longing for his coming now not only should we be longing for it but we ought to be living for his coming now notice this again verse three every man that hath this hope in him does what purifies himself go back up to chapter 2 and verse 28 and now little children abide in him that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming folks are you ready for jesus to come today i mean really is your heart pure or is your heart headquarters for hate are you feeding a fever nursing a grudge is there in your heart some vile habit is there in your cabinet some beverage that ought not to be there is there in your library some filth think about it if you absolutely knew that jesus christ were coming back this afternoon would you make some changes would you make some changes then make them because you don't know when he's coming you don't know when he's coming every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure you to be longing for his coming you are to be living for his coming second corinthians 7 1 having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of god you know it's wonderful to be able to pray and say nothing between my soul and the savior what you say pastor rogers just so long as i get to heaven it'll be all right even if i go second class that'll satisfy me well it won't satisfy god and it won't satisfy you do you know how i know i'm saved do you know why i want to live a holy life not because i'm afraid of what god will do to me if i don't i think i can illustrate that some teenagers were out and one of them suggested they do something they ought not to do and a godly girl in that crowd said no i don't want to do that and one of them began to tease and say oh you're afraid your daddy will hurt you aren't you she said no i'm afraid i'd hurt my daddy hurt my daddy see that's the difference that's the difference between law and love every man that has this hope in him every man that says i am a blood brother of the lord jesus christ every person boy girl man woman that says it means it's soon and very soon i'm going to see the king they want to be pure when the lord jesus comes we are to be looking for his coming we're to be living for his coming and we ought to be longing for his coming you know when i was a youngster i used to hear preachers preach about the second coming of jesus and i thought oh what rotten luck i won't even get to get married i won't get to do all those things i want to do my heart my life's going to be cut short friend listen the longer i live and the more i see the more i understand that the best thing could happen any of us and all of us is for jesus christ to come right now right now don't you worry you're not going to get left out if jesus comes right now don't you worry about things coming uh somehow that you you missed out on something it is all gain for me to live as christ and to die is gain if i die now or if jesus comes now i'm stepping out i'm stepping up and folks i long for i long for the coming of our lord and savior jesus christ what a day that will be when our savior comes our dignity we are the sons and daughters of god our destiny we're going to be like jesus our duty he that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure those who are not yet saved are going to miss all of this they don't understand this the only way to be a son a daughter of god is to be born into his family the bible says in john 112 that jesus came into his own and his own received him not but as many as received him to them gave he the power to become the sons of god the daughters of god the children of god even to them that believe in his name and if you're unsaved would you pray a prayer like this or if you're not certain that you're saved pray like this dear god my sin deserves judgment but i need mercy i'm lost i need to be saved and i want to be saved i'm tired of just good intentions i'm tired of just plain religion i want to know you god i want to know you i need to be saved jesus you died for me thank you for dying for my sins i now receive you by faith as my lord and savior come into my heart take control of my life i turn it all over to you i will follow you and live for you all the days of my life not in order to be saved but because you've saved me i will do it lord jesus thank you for saving me i just receive it by faith right now lord jesus give me the courage to make it public not to be ashamed of you in your name i pray amen in your name i pray amen amen and if you've prayed to receive jesus christ we want to celebrate with you and invite you to our discover jesus page just go to lwf.org slash radio and you'll see discover jesus at the top you'll find answers there that you may need about your newfound faith we have a response section you can share your testimony with us or how this message has made a difference in your life go to lwf.org radio and click discover jesus welcome to god's forever family we can't wait to hear from you today are you living in anticipation of the fellowship we'll have when we all get to heaven remember your dignity your destiny and your duty today and we hope you'll join us next time for more profound truth simply stated by abrian rogers right here on love worth finding