From His Heart

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There is tremendous truth There is love is love There is hope that you always dream of. He can heal every scar.

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From his heart.

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Christians have wondered, what is heaven going to be like? What are we going to do in heaven? Our imaginations run wild with questions about heaven. Now the Bible does have much to say about heaven, and though God doesn't give us all the specifics, he does tell us enough to get us so excited about this place of wonder, particularly when we know we are inheriting heaven.

And that's the title of the message today on From His Heart. Thank you for joining us today. This lesson is one of four in Pastor Jeff's series, Forever and Ever: the Reality of Eternal Heaven and Eternal Hell. Now this is the last lesson in this series we'll be airing today, and the entire series in the format of your choice is available when you go online to fromsheart.org. You can click the Listen link there to find out more.

But first, open your Bible to Revelation, chapter 21, as Pastor Jeff concludes our study about how we who know Christ can be assured that we're inheriting heaven.

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So what is in store for the Child of God? What is our eternal home going to be like? I want you to notice with me three characteristics of our eternal home in heaven with God.

Number one, heaven is beyond our imagination. It's beyond our imagination. First Corinthians 2, verse 9 states, "What eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has even entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him." Now John is going to describe heaven, but he's describing something that is indescribable. It's very difficult to describe. But here is what he tells us: he saw a new heaven and a new earth. Verse 1 says, "For the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there's no longer any sea." So the first thing we learn is that it is brand new. The word for new heaven and new earth is "Kainos," which means new in quality. The Lord says in verse five, "Behold, I am making all things new," all things kainos. It's going to be new in quality. It's not going to be like anything that you and I know because it's brand new. John gives us a kind of an inkling of the fact that it's different from anything we know, and there's no longer any sea. It is God's greatest masterpiece: the new heaven and the new earth. The crown jewel of the new heaven and the new earth is the holy city, New Jerusalem. Verse 2 states, "And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband." It is prepared as a bride adorns herself for her husband. What does God do? He pulls out all the stops on the new heaven and the new earth, and especially the crown jewel of heaven, which is the holy city, New Jerusalem. This New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven is holy, holy, holy. It's holy because God is there. It's holy because it's dedicated to God. And it's holy because only the people who occupy the New Jerusalem are believers. They've been made holy by the blood of the Lamb. It says in verse 27 of chapter 21, "And nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." That's what John saw. It is beyond imagination.

The second characteristic is that heaven is nothing like now. It's nothing like now. In the physical characteristics of heaven, yes, it's beyond imagination, and we have nothing to compare it to. But when we think of life on earth now, heaven is nothing like that. Look what he says in verse 4: "And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. And there shall no longer be any death. There shall no longer be any mourning or crying or pain. The first things have passed away." You mark it down: in heaven, in the eternal state of heaven, there will never be one second of sorrow. Not one second of sorrow, not anything that would cause anyone to have tears. None of those things that we have known before—death, mourning, crying, depression, anxiety—all those things are gone. There are not any tears in heaven. There's not any sorrow in heaven, not one second of sorrow.

Secondly, there will always be in heaven complete joy and satisfaction. We have new bodies that we are given in heaven—glorified bodies, bodies like the Lord Jesus. Paul says, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of his glory through the exertion of the power that he has even to subject all things to Himself." We're going to have a body just like Jesus' body. Look at verse 6 of chapter 21: "And he said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet; Omega is the last. "I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost." That is God's way of saying, "You will be satisfied in heaven, and you will be satisfied beyond anything you've ever experienced before in your life." And it's not a satisfaction that wanes. Heaven is beyond our imagination. Heaven is nothing like now.

Then, characteristic number three: heaven is living with God forever. That's really what heaven is. That's what makes heaven so wonderful: you're with God forever. A musical group that I used to listen to when I first got saved had a song that said, "Heaven is being with you. There's nothing I'd rather do. There is nothing better knowing you forever." There is nothing better. Jesus, heaven is the Lord. That's what makes heaven heaven. As that song says, if I got to heaven and you weren't there, I wouldn't want to be there because I want to be where you are.

In verse 3, John says, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold.'" Now, anytime you read "behold," that's a word to get your attention. It's a word to say, "Hey, listen to this. Look up, let me get your attention." It's a word of surprise, a word of wow. "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and he shall dwell among them. And they shall be his people, and God himself shall be among them." What happens in heaven? We dwell with God. We dwell with God because God chooses to dwell with us. It is going to be so exciting to be in the presence of God.

Now, there has been a question that theologians kick around: God is Spirit. So in heaven, do we see God the Father, or do we just see God the Son? It says in John 1, verse 18, "No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, he has explained him." The only begotten God, or as some older or newer manuscripts say, the only begotten Son who is in the image of the Father, in the bosom of the Father, he has explained him. I think that in heaven we get to see God. Of course, God the Son dwells with us, but I think God the Father dwells with us in that state too.

This is what Paul said to Timothy in First Timothy 6: "That you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the proper time. He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen." God the Father dwells in unapproachable light. But he says in Revelation 21, verse 3, "I'm going to dwell among them." Wow! The God who dwells in unapproachable light, the God whom no man has seen or can see in their humanity, we're going to see him. We're going to dwell with Him.

Then it says that we serve him. Revelation 22, verse 3 states, "There shall no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his bondservants shall serve him." See, that's what we say: what do we do in heaven? Is it just one long worship service that lasts forever? Some have accused me of saying that it just lasts forever. It's not going to be like that. It's going to be so thrilling and so exciting. But I don't think it's just going to be one worship service that lasts for eternity, although we worship for all eternity. It's not like we just gather and worship God forever and ever and ever, and that's all we do. We just sit in seats and we worship. It's not like that. I think there will be times for that, but I think it's going to be varied. God is the God who likes new things and he likes things that have variety to them. I think the Lord is going to have things for us to do, and we're going to serve him in whatever things that he wants us to do.

In the millennial kingdom, the thousand-year reign of Christ, those who are the bride of Christ will rule and reign with Christ. That's part of the rewards that we get at the bema seat, at the judgment seat: "You were faithful in a few things. I'm going to put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Master." We're in charge of some things. So in heaven, it doesn't really say what we do; we just know that we're going to serve Him. It's going to be so exciting, joyful, and pleasurable, and it's going to be off the chain.

Then it says we will see his face and his full glory. Look at chapter 22, verses 4 and 5: "And they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall no longer be any night. And they shall have no need of the light of a lamp, nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them. And they shall reign forever and ever." We see his face. The apostles saw the face of Jesus—Peter, James, and John. They saw Jesus in all his power when he went up to the mount of transfiguration. He unzipped, so to speak, the veil of his flesh, and his clothing became white like lightning, and his face started to shine like the sun. They didn't know what to say, and they fell on their faces. Peter, not knowing what to say, said, "Lord, it is good that we're here; let us make three tabernacles, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." Because Moses and Elijah appeared with him. I love that about Peter. He doesn't know what to say, but he has to say something. That's Peter. I mean, I don't know what to say; I'm going to say something. It's good that we're here so we can build three tabernacles.

But Jesus gave them a glimpse into his power and coming glory. They saw that in Jesus, but not to the fullness that we will see in heaven when we see the Father's face.

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Wow. The God who dwells in unapproachable light and the throne of God and the Lamb are there.

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In the new heaven and new earth in the new Jerusalem. How exciting that's going to be.

You know, remember Moses, he prayed. He said, "Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, I pray, show me your glory. Show me your glory. I want to see your glory."

And God says, "Moses, you can't. I'll show you the backside of my glory. I'll show you the edges of my glory. You can't see my face. No man can see my face."

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And so God put Moses in the cleft of the rock. He covered him there with his hand and he passed by and he said of himself, the Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness and truth, who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.

Yet he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations, and Moses.

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Face to the ground and worshiped. He just saw the backside of God's glory. In heaven we see full on the full glory of God. His children shall see his face.

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And it's not for a fleeting moment. We dwell with him forever. And you know what's so cool? You read about the new Jerusalem, this 1500-mile cube. It's filled with gold and precious stones, and it does not have need of a light of a lamp or the light of the sun because the Lord God lights it up with his glory. And it's just this brilliant, blazing light that comes out of the New Jerusalem, the capital city of heaven. That's where we're gonna live.

We get to come to the earth. I kind of look at it this way: we live in the New Jerusalem, and the earth is kind of like our backyard. You just get to play in the earth and do stuff in the earth. But we get to, you know, come back when it's time for supper. You know, you come back up, and you're in the New Jerusalem, and you're with God. It is going to be so awesome.

He says in verse 7, "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son." But in verse 8, it states, "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Such a contrast. The person who overcomes inherits these things with God.

You might say, "I don't feel much like an overcomer." In 1 John, chapter five, it says, "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith." And who is the one who overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. That's an overcomer—somebody who puts his faith and trust in Jesus.

It's not that you have to be this big strong girl or this big strong guy that says, "I can overcome." No, it's that you put your faith and trust in Jesus. You realize you can't overcome, so you say, "Lord, I need you. I trust you." He makes you an overcomer.

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And you have a choice. You can come to Christ, put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, confess to God that you're a sinner and you're lost and you can't save yourself. And you deserve hell for your sins and your rebellion against him. You can come and say to the Lord Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me, cleanse me, save me, change me. I give myself to you. And the moment that you do that, he saves you. He does that with anybody. Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

But if you don't, if there's too much pride, if there's too much attachment to this world, attachment to your sin, then verse eight is for you. Your part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. He says nothing. Verse 27. Nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into the world. New Jerusalem. Into the eternal state. But only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life?

Listen. It's so wonderful. The last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22, verse 17, we have an invitation. And the Spirit and the bride say, come. And let the one who hears come. And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. God's favorite word is come. Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Come now. Jesus said, come to me, you who are weary and heavy laden. And I will give you rest. Come to me and I'll give you salvation. Why wouldn't we come? It doesn't make sense why people wouldn't come. Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. It's a reasonable thing to come to the Lord. It makes absolutely no sense to not come to him. He's offering you forgiveness and salvation and joy and peace and power. And a home forever in heaven with him. Why would you not come to that?

I'll close with this story. Years ago in the Midwest, there was an old German farmer by the name of Klein. Mr. Klein, he was known as Old Man.

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He never went to church. He was a crusty old guy. Lived for sin and self. One day on a Sunday, he got up, and as the story goes, he was walking down the street. He was feeling pretty lonely and depressed about his life. And just. There was no future. There was just nothing.

He passed by a church, and they were singing a hymn. He overheard the words of this hymn, and he was shocked by them. This is what it says:

"Grace, 'tis a charming sound, harmonious to the ear. Heaven with the echo shall resound, and all the earth shall hear. Saved by grace alone, this is all my plea. Jesus died for all mankind, and Jesus died for me."

That's what the song said. What he heard was, "Jesus died for old Man Klein."

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And Jesus died for me. And all of a sudden, he stopped. They're singing about me. They said, jesus died for old mankind. That's me. And all of a sudden it hit him. Jesus didn't just die for the world. He died for me.

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And he went into that church and he heard the full gospel and he trusted Christ as savior and Lord. And he was able to give the testimony. Jesus did die for old mankind. Jesus died for me. Listen. Jesus died for you.

If any man's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. God has a place in his book for you. And he says, come. The Spirit and the bride say, come.

And let the one who hears say, come. And let the one who thirsts come. And let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. He paid it all for you.

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Would you just come and give him your heart and give him your life.

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You have an opportunity today. You watching online, you watching on television, you listening on the radio, you in here. No doubt in any given service, there are lots of people that have never put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

You have an opportunity today. You say, I'll do it tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. All you have is today.

Jesus died for you. Jesus died for all mankind. And he died for old mankind, and he died for you.

And if you'll take one step toward the Savior, my friend, you'll find his arms open wide.

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Are you ready to take that one step? If you do, the Holy Spirit will do the rest in you, changing you from the inside to a mind and heart set on the desires of God. The things that God wants you to do in service to Him.

Today you've been listening to From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Shreve, and we want to invite you to now get online to our website at promisheart.org and click the "Why Jesus" link there. It'll help you to get started in your Christian journey, help you to know how God wants to guide you through your journey and that He loves you so very, very much. Again, that's the "Why Jesus" link at fromhisheart.org.

As you are aware of your spiritual thirst, you're not alone. There's a huge thirst for spiritual nourishment in your hometown and around the world. That's true. And God has positioned From His Heart to be a trusted nourishment provider for spiritually hungry people with a voice of clarity and hope.

And that's why, as we come to the end of this year, it's absolutely vital we end it as strong financially as possible so we can continue on over 850 radio stations each day in the US and broadcast on television around the world. And that's why we're asking for your help to close out this year with a generous gift by December 31st. Never underestimate the power of your support and how God is and can use you for such a time as this.

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Hey, thank you for joining us today on From His Heart. I'm Larry Nobles inviting you to be with us next time when we begin Pastor Jeff's engaging series appropriate for this holiday time. It's called "What a Beautiful Name," which starts Thursday when we'll open up God's Word and share real truth, real love, and real hope from His Heart.

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He can hear.

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From His Heart is the listener-supported broadcast ministry of Dr. Jeff Shreve, speaking the truth in love to a lost and hurting world.

Remember, no matter what, God loves you and He has a wonderful plan for your life.

Find out more at promisheart.org.