Hey, podcast listeners! Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes.
Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. God's word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory, the time, the treasure, the opportunities God has given us here on earth will determine what responsibility we have in all eternity. Yes, in heaven, we'll have work to do, but it's not going to be work all the time. There's also going to be some fun in heaven.
We'll be worshiping, we'll be working, but we're going to be having the time of our lives. Well, welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. When you think about heaven, what picture actually comes to mind? Maybe you imagine cherubs floating around on clouds with harps, or maybe angels in white robes singing never-ending praise. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress sets aside Hollywood's bland depictions of heaven to discover what Scripture says it will really be like. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress? Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Have you ever seen your friends' vacation pictures from Italy, Greece, or the Mediterranean and wondered if you would ever have the opportunity to visit those exquisite places? Well, in just a few months, I'll be hosting the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise, and I'd love for you to join us.
The dates for this unforgettable 12-day tour are May 5th through 16th. In addition to visiting historic sites where the good news of the Gospel was shared for the very first time, we'll have plenty of time to take in the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea as well. Please take a look at the impressive places we'll visit and reserve your spot today by going to ptv.org. Well, I'm convinced that if people truly understood the truth about heaven, our country would experience a spiritual revival, the likes of which we had never seen before. But very few people have honestly studied what the Bible says and doesn't say about our eternal home.
To them, it sounds, well, boring. Right now on Pathway to Victory, we're conducting an in-depth study on the magnificent place God is preparing for His children. And to complement our study, I've written a bestselling book that I'm eager to send to you today. It's called A Place Called Heaven, 10 Surprising Truths About Your Eternal Home. Get ready to jot down our contact information at the end of the program so that you can request your copy.
But right now, let's continue a message that we began yesterday. Many people think that life in heaven will be uneventful, so let's answer the honest question, what will we do in heaven? Is heaven going to be a boring place? Well, people who believe that do so because they have embraced three popular myths about God, heaven, and eternity. Let's look at those myths for just a moment and see what the Scripture says. First of all, some people believe that God is a cosmic killjoy.
When they think about God, they think about Him as being a perennial party pooper, and they think of Satan as being the life of the party. Did you know there's nothing interesting about Satan? Nothing at all. Nothing creative about him. He never created anything.
Instead, he ruined everything. He is a perpetually boring person, completely unoriginal. Contrast that to God. I mean, if you want to know how exciting God is, just look around you at everything that God has created. Everything we live in and watch is good, beautiful, enjoyable, refreshing, fascinating, and exciting because it's created by someone who is all of those things. A second myth people have about heaven is that heaven will be monotonous. The fact is, no matter how good something is, we get bored with it after a while, don't we? G.K. Chesterton explained why.
I want you to listen to this. This was such a great insight. He said, a child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence of life because children have a bounding vitality because they are in spirit, fierce and free. Therefore, they want things repeated and unchanged.
They always say, do it again, and the grownup person does it again until he's nearly dead. For grownup people are not strong enough to exalt in monotony, but perhaps God is strong enough to exalt in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, do it again to the sun, and every evening, do it again to the moon. The only reason things seem monotonous to us is because we live in bodies that grow tired, but in heaven, we'll have none of those limitations.
We'll be like children saying to the father, do it again, dad, do it again. A third myth people have about heaven, and the reason they think it is boring is they believe heaven is going to be one long and unending church service. I mean, let's be honest, the idea of heaven being one long church service is a yawn fest for most of us, but the reason we feel that way is we really have a misunderstanding of what worship is going to be like in heaven. Worship will be a central activity in heaven, but it won't be our only activity in heaven. You know, the Garden of Eden is a template for what the new heaven and the new earth is going to be like. God placed Adam and Eve in the garden before they sinned, and God said, you're going to have perfect fellowship with me, but you're not going to sit around and worship me all the time.
I've also given you work to do. In fact, he said in Genesis 2 8 and verse 15, you are to cultivate the garden and keep it. There were two primary activities in heaven, worshiping, but also working, and the same is going to be true for us.
Let's look at each of those two activities in depth. First of all, heaven will be a place of indescribable worship. If you want to get an idea of what that experience is going to be like, look at Revelation 5 verses 11 and 12 where John describes the worship we will experience in heaven. He said, then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders.
This is you and I, the elders, the church, and the number of them was myriads of myriads, millions of people surrounding the throne, and notice verse 12, saying with a loud voice, underline that word loud. Heaven will be a time of indescribable worship. But there's a second thing we're going to experience in heaven.
Heaven will also be a place of enjoyable work. In his original form, man was created to work. It's true, after the sin of Genesis 3, work became harder for us.
It became more tedious. But work itself has never been a curse. It is a privilege God has given us. God basically said, I'm going to give you this slice of paradise called Eden, but you have a responsibility to cultivate it. That is, you're to till the soil. You're to plant the seeds.
And it's the same thing with us. You're saying, wait a minute, pastor, working for an eternity, that sounds more like hell than heaven to me. The reason our work is hard is because we live in a sin infected world.
But in Revelation 22, 3, it says in the new heaven and new earth, the curse of sin will be removed. In heaven, we'll be able to perform our work in bodies that never grow tired. What is it that we'll be doing? What will our work entail?
Two words I want you to write down. First of all, our work of cultivating. That is, taking what God has created and making it even better. But there will also be a work of creating. That is, as human beings, God has given us the ability to create something out of nothing. For example, God said to Adam in the garden, I've made these animals.
I want you to come up with the names for them. Today, we see man's God-given creativity at work. The invention of the automobile, the jet airplane, the iPhone are all testimonies to a God-given creativity. Why do we think in heaven that won't be present as well in our lives? We'll use the gifts God has given us. Now, I said that our work in heaven will be an extension possibly of our work here on earth. How do you know what your life work should be, both on earth and in heaven? My friend Bob Beale has a great question you ought to ask and answer for yourself sometime. Bob says, if money and education were not a factor and you could do anything in the world you wanted to do knowing you wouldn't fail, what would you do? Isn't that a thought-provoking question?
If there were no limitations of money or education, you could do anything in the world and know you wouldn't fail at it, what would you do? That goes a long way in determining what God's life work is for you. And by the way, it's built on scripture. Philippians 2 13 says, God is the one who is at work within you giving you the will and the power to achieve his purpose. You know, God's will for our vocation is the intersection of our passions and our skills.
That's what Paul is saying. God's working it in you, giving you both the will, that is the desire, and the ability to achieve his purpose. What is it God has created you to do? Whatever your passion is here on earth, whatever your gifts are here on earth will probably be your same passions and your same gifts in heaven.
If you don't hear another word I'm saying, remember this. When you die, you don't become a different person in heaven than you are here on earth. Your life is a continuum.
It begins now and it transcends the grave. Who you are now is who you will be in heaven minus all the flaws. You'll know what you're going to do in heaven probably by what you're doing right now.
Yes, we'll be worshiping God, we'll be working, but there's one other aspect that some people will be doing in heaven and that is ruling and reigning with God. Some people are created to rule over the new heaven and the new earth. That was God's plan for Adam and Eve. Remember in Genesis 1 26 he said, Let us make man in our own likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and over the cattle and all of the earth and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Adam and Eve were created to be co-regents with God on planet earth.
Now because of sin, they had to advocate their rule. But in the new heaven and new earth, you and I will be co-rulers with God. Revelation 22 verse 5 says we will reign with him forever and ever.
Now that brings up two questions. First of all, who exactly will be reigning with God? Obviously everybody's not going to be reigning or there'd be nobody to reign over. So who will be reigning with God? To be one of those who rule and reign with Christ involves three criteria. First of all, you will need to have the desire to rule. Only those who have a desire to rule will rule. You know, for some of you right now, the idea of being in charge of anything makes you break out in a cold sweat.
Well, don't worry about it. If you don't enjoy ruling, you're not going to be ruling in heaven. Not everybody enjoys that. There has to be a desire.
Secondly, there has to be an ability. Romans 12 says one of the spiritual gifts is the gift of leadership, to be able to organize. Some people couldn't organize themselves out of a paper bag. I mean, it's not that they're bad people. They're just not leaders. But thirdly, and this is all important, faithfulness is a criterion for leadership in God's kingdom. You can have the desire and even the ability to rule, but you also have to have a track record of faithfulness to God. We don't have time to look at the parable today. We'll look at it in Luke 19 when we get there. But remember the parable Jesus told about the minas.
And the point of the parable is how we handle the time, the treasure, the opportunities God has given us here on earth will determine what responsibility we have in all eternity. The second question besides who will reign is what does ruling and reigning involve? What does it mean we're going to rule with Christ?
There are two aspects of that. First of all, judging. Part of ruling and reigning with Christ involves judging. In 1 Corinthians 6, remember the Corinthians were fussing and fighting with one another.
They couldn't come to an agreement. And Paul says it shouldn't be this way. He says in verse 2, do you not know that the saints will judge the world? One day, Christians will judge the world.
That word judge, krino, means to render a verdict. And while there is no evidence that you and I will be judging other people in the new heaven and new earth, the Bible is clear we're going to be judging angels. Verse 3 says, do you not know that we shall judge the angels? Right now, Psalm 8 says God has created man lower than the angels.
But in the new heaven and earth, that will be reversed and we'll be judging angels. A second aspect of ruling and reigning is governing. Governing. That is, there will be parts of God's creation that some of us will govern. In 2 Timothy 2.12, Paul says if we endure with him, we shall also reign with him. You know, in the Old Testament, we have examples of God's people reigning over certain territory. Joseph was prime minister over Egypt. Daniel over Babylon.
Mordecai over Persia. We're going to be ruling. Some people will be ruling over parts of God's creation. And while the new heaven and new earth will be the central part of God's creation, ruling and reigning probably won't be limited to there. There will still be galaxies far flung throughout the universe over which God's people will rule. Yes, in heaven, we'll have work to do.
But it's not going to be work all the time. There's also going to be some fun in heaven. And let me just suggest to you what I call three perks of heaven. Three permanent perks of heaven. We'll be worshiping, we'll be working, but we're going to be having the time of our lives as well. You know, the Bible suggests at least three benefits of being in heaven. First of all, it'll be a time of enjoying other believers. Enjoying other believers. Do you realize God made us where we need other people to be truly fulfilled? Remember God said to Adam, it's not good for you to be alone.
I've always thought that was interesting. Adam wasn't alone. He had a perfect relationship with God that hadn't been tainted by sin. But God said, as good as our relationship is, it's not enough.
You need somebody else. That's why he made Eve. God made us in such a way that we need fellowship with other human beings. And in heaven, we're going to enjoy that in a way we've never experienced on earth. My friend David Jeremiah says, because we will be God's people made over, we will be perfectly compatible with one another and able for the first time ever to enjoy the intimate fellowship that we all long for in our hearts.
In heaven, gone will be the impure motives, the suspicions, the sins that taint and ruin relationships today. And just think about in heaven, how fascinating it's going to be, not just to talk with the friends we have right now, but to sit down and talk to your grandparents, your great grandparents who are in heaven and learn more about your family. Or just think what it's going to be like to sit down and listen to the saints of old and be riveted by their stories. To hear Noah tell about what it was like on that ark for a year as the flood descended over the earth. Or to listen to the children of Israel talk about what it was like escaping Pharaoh and his chariots and parting through the Red Sea. Just think about listening to David describe his miraculous victory over the giant Goliath.
Or the disciples tell about what it was like that first Easter morning when they ran to the tomb and saw that it was empty. Think about sitting down and talking theology with Calvin or Martin Luther. Or talking science with Newton and Pascal.
Think about talking to courageous leaders like William Wilberforce. Or those who wrote our faith's most beloved hymns like Charles Wesley and John Newton. Can you imagine sitting down and having a book review with G.K. Chesterton or C.S.
Lewis or J.R. Tolkien? Can you imagine what it would be like to sit down and listen to D.O. Moody or Billy Graham describe what it was like to preach before thousands? I mean, that's what we're going to be doing in heaven, enjoying fellowship, perfect fellowship with one another. Secondly, heaven will be a time of learning more about God. Yes, it's true, the prophet Habakkuk promised that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God. Have you ever wondered how that knowledge will come? I mean, when we die, is there a sudden information dump into our brains where we know everything about God when we're in heaven?
Maybe that happens, but I doubt it, and here's why. Think about your most important relationships here on earth. Hasn't part of the enjoyment of that relationship been learning more about that person over a period of time rather than learning everything at once? There's a joy of discovery. You know, I think about the first time I met Amy. We were 12 years old. She was sitting in front of me at Miss Denny's math class, and I only knew one thing about Amy.
She was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. That's all I knew about her, but believe me, I wanted to know more. And so we started passing notes back and forth in class. God had lots of trouble for passing these notes, but through those notes, we learned more about each other. I spent 50 years getting to know Amy, and guess what?
I don't know everything about her, but there's a lot more to discover, and the whole process has been an exhilarating one. It's going to be the same way in our relationship with God. I think we're going to have all eternity to get to know God, and that's how we'll increase in our knowledge of the God.
We'll get to know him better and better and better. Thirdly, in heaven, it will be a time of experiencing real rest. We've already seen in heaven we're not floating on a cloud somewhere. God will have us engaged in meaningful work, but that doesn't mean that's all we're going to do.
You know, with the Israelites, God set aside a day of rest, and then he set aside certain weeks and certain months, and sometimes there is a year of rest as well. I think we'll experience the same thing in heaven. In Revelation 14, verse 13, John was commanded to write these words.
Look at them. And I, John, heard a voice from heaven, saying, Write this down. Blessed, literally happy, are the dead who die in the Lord from now on, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.
What does he mean? Blessed are those who die, that they may rest. I mean, to me, that sounds so boring. Resting. I hated it as a kid when my parents would make me take a nap.
I just hated that. Is that what heaven is? Is that what he's talking about? Resting from our labors? Do we just go to sleep some eternal nap?
No. The key is understanding that word, labors. The word labors, kapas, refers to the persecution of living in this world. The people John is talking about are those who were martyred during the tribulation for their faith.
And he said, blessed are those who die for their faith. Happy are those, because in heaven, they will be free. They will rest from the persecution they've experienced in this world. But I think the kind of rest you and I are going to experience goes beyond the cessation of persecution. The rest we're going to experience in heaven is that occasional respite. We even experienced here on earth when we finished a big job. Have you ever had a big project to finish? And once you're finished, you say, whew, it's over. It's over. I finished.
But what I've done is not just good, it's very good. To be satisfied with what God has allowed you to accomplish. I think that's what it's going to be like in heaven. They'll be those times that we rest from our labors. Those times that we're able to have true satisfaction in a job well done. And it's that rest that reminds us that as important as our work is here and we'll be in heaven, there's more to life than working. Heaven will be a time of enjoying perfect fellowship with one another and that perfect relationship with God we've always longed for. That's what we will be doing in that place called heaven. Aren't you ready to go? I am. Let's just load up right now.
What do you say? Not quite yet, but soon. God has a great, indescribable future planned for those who love Him. As a result of this teaching series on A Place Called Heaven, we're gaining a much better picture of our eternal home. And now I'm inviting you to take your next steps in gaining a deeper understanding of heaven. First, I want to send you my bestselling book called A Place Called Heaven, 10 Surprising Truths About Your Eternal Home.
Many Christians become frustrated by what they see and hear in the news today, forgetting that God is preparing an eternal home that surpasses any struggles we may be facing right now. So today, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, be sure to request your copy of my book, A Place Called Heaven. In fact, when you respond right now, I'll also include a multi-folded brochure that explains what seven world religions teach about heaven.
My brochure shows you how the biblical view of heaven differs from religions like Mormonism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism. Yes, your gift helps cover the cost of these resources. But the best part is this, your generous gift is applied directly toward reaching people who are craving hope and encouragement. Recently, I received a note from Connie. She wrote, Pastor Jeffress, in the same month I lost my beloved husband and found the series A Place Called Heaven in our home library. Your book helped me tremendously as I grieved his loss, and it's brought me hope and reassurance that I will be seeing my husband again one day when we're reunited with Jesus Christ in heaven. You see, when you give financially, you're making an investment in men and women like Connie, and God's truth is transforming lives. Thank you for standing with us, David.
Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request the bestselling book, A Place Called Heaven, written by Dr. Robert Jeffress. As an added bonus, you'll also receive the brochure, What Seven World Religions Teach About Heaven.
Simply call us toll free at 866-999-2965 or visit online at ptv.org. Now, when your gift is $75 or more, we'll also send you the A Place Called Heaven teaching series on CD and DVD. Plus, you'll receive encouragement from A Place Called Heaven.
It's a beautiful book filled with much needed comfort, hope, and encouragement for those who are hurting or fearful. To request this special package of resources on Heaven, call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. If you'd prefer to write, let me give you that mailing address, P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222.
Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, inviting you to join us again next time when we continue our series, A Place Called Heaven, with a message titled, Who Will Be in Heaven? That's Wednesday, here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway partner, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
