Heaven series overview

Main Idea of Heaven series: God is preparing a place for you that is beyond your imagination!

Key verse:That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT)

Kick your bucket list and live on mission for Jesus!

1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (Colossians 3:1–4 NLT)

Key resource: Heaven by Randy Alcorn (a summary booklet entitled, Heaven: Biblical Answers to Common Questions is available for free at the welcome center, one per household)

Eternity will be a blast!

* We will enjoy a robust life.

1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. (Revelation 22:1–2 NLT)

* We will enjoy a grand adventure.

- We will enjoy satisfying work.

3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. (Revelation 22:3 NLT)

- We will enjoy ruling forever.

5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:5 NLT)

“God has decided that we’re actually going to help him run the universe! He will give us renewed minds and bodies so that we will be whole people, full of energy and vision, eager to undertake new projects for God’s glory and our enrichment.” (Alcorn, Randy; Heaven: Biblical Answers to Common Questions; Kindle Locations 180-182)

* We will enjoy a rich relationship with God.

4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:4–5 NLT)

“To look into God’s eyes will be to see what we’ve always longed to see: the person who made us and for whom we were made. And we will see him in the place he made for us, and for which we were made. Seeing God will be like seeing everything else for the first time. We will discover that seeing God is our greatest joy, and life itself. Every other joy of Heaven will be derivative, flowing from the fountain of our relationship with God. We will spend eternity worshipping, exploring, and serving our great God. We will see his breath-taking beauty in everything and everyone around us.” (Alcorn, Randy; Heaven: Biblical Answers to Common Questions; Kindle Locations 202-207)

Eternity blows away everything of this earth!

“We do well to return again and again to Revelation 21 and 22, for it is the end of the pilgrim path. The more distinct the vision to the pilgrim of the beauty and glory of the city to which he journeys, the less the immediate environments of his journey attract him.” (Taken from Newell’s commentary as quoted in Constable; Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible; Revelation 22:5)

13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13–16 NLT)

25 [Moses] chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. (Hebrews 11:25–26 NLT)