A Prepared Place for God's Children
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- Aug 2, 2009
- Series: A Glimpse of Heaven
A PREPARED PLACE FOR GOD'S CHILDREN
John 14:1-6
blockquote>- "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
- In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
- And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
- You know the way to the place where I am going."
- Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
- Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
In Ecclesiastes 3:11, King Solomon has openly declared that God has set eternity in the hearts of men. No wonder people have always been interested with the afterlife. People are constantly asking, what will happen after our life on earth is over?
If someone would ask you about heaven or hell, would you be able to direct people to what the Bible says about them? There's no question whether you believe on heaven and hell, most people know that Christian beliefs include heaven and hell, but the question is: what kind of heaven or hell do you really believe?
According to a 2004 Gallop poll, 81 percent of Americans believe in heaven and 70 percent believe in hell. What is really interesting is with the 81 percent who believe in heaven, 77 percent are optimistic about making it to heaven. But again, we go back to the same question: What exactly do people think of when they think of heaven or hell?
This is the reason why we will be spending a lot of time this month studying the doctrine of heaven. With our theme - A Glimpse of Heaven, we want to be able to answer some basic questions about heaven like:
- What is heaven really going to be like?
- What will we look like?
- Will we recognize our loved ones there?
- What will we do there?
- How can our belief in heaven impact our life on earth?
I'm sure in one time or another we may have asked these questions. I would really challenge each one of us to be more familiar of what the Bible teaches about it because I know there are so much confusing ideas that television, movies, or all sorts of secular materials have given us. Let me state it clearly that if we want to know about heaven, only what the Bible reveals count. We cannot rely on other materials. Everything else is just speculation and hearsay. The Bible tells us everything we need to know and I believe it also tells us everything we can know for certain about heaven. I really hope you would realize that this is a very important theme and would make sure that you don't miss any of the sermons. Allow me to quote the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody referring to a study about heaven.
"Surely it is not wrong for us to think and talk about Heaven. I like to find out all I can about it. I expect to live there through all eternity. If I were going to dwell in any place in this country, if I were going to make it my home, I would inquire about its climate, about the neighbors I would have -- about everything, in fact, that I could learn concerning it. If soon you were going to emigrate, that is the way you would feel. Well, we are all going to emigrate in a very little while. We are going to spend eternity in another world. … Is it not natural that we should look and listen and try to find out that is already there and what is the route to take?"
Jesus Himself had taken some time to teach the disciples about it. Prior to dying on the cross, He gathered his disciples to prepare them for everything that was about to happen. When He mentioned to them how it was necessary for him to leave them for a while, the disciples became really troubled and wondered why He had to leave. Jesus took the opportunity to explain about this precious doctrine. This is where I wanted to begin. It is obvious that the doctrine of heaven is most important during our most difficult times in life. When there's so much uncertainty about the future, the future with Christ in heaven is certain. When we have been broken or undergoing our most difficult tragedies, we have the hope that everything will be replaced with great joy and glory in the presence of our awesome Savior. I love what 2 Corinthians 4:17 reminds us with:
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."
This verse is literally telling us that our deep understanding of the glory of heaven and the hope of things to come can sustain us in the midst of all our troubles in this life. So, let's begin examining what Jesus has to say about it:
I IT IS A GENUINE PLACE:
Going back to our text, it is evident that Jesus was referring to an actual place when he described where he was going and what he was going to prepare for them. He literally used the word place 2 times in the text. Added to this, he specifically chose some common physical terms like house, and rooms. Therefore, it is safe to say that heaven is a genuine place like New Jersey or New York. It is an actual place that the believers can look forward to go and not simply a quality of existence here on earth.
Jesus clearly referred to heaven as the Father's House. This literally suggests that this is the dwelling place of God - The place where we would finally see and dwell with God forever. Wow! You see, if we go to heaven, not only will we enjoy its beauty, heaven will be the place where we will enjoy the beauty and glory of God.
At one time, the apostle Paul had the privilege of being brought to this heaven, and he referred to it as the third heaven:
- I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows.
Notice the phrase third heaven. Bible scholars agree that the first heaven refers to the home of birds and clouds (Jeremiah 4:25). While the second heaven is the home of the Sun, Moon and Stars (Genesis 22:17). The third heaven in 2 Corinthians would be the home of God. If the first and the second heaven are literal places, then it would be inconsistent not to regard the third heaven as a literal or genuine place.
Another significant text to prove that it is a literal place would be in Revelation 21. This is probably one of the clearest texts about heaven and it was written by John. In a vision God allowed John to describe heaven, the dwelling place of God. In the passage, it is being referred to as the New Jerusalem, or the Holy City:
- I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
- And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
- He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
If you keep reading, you would find in verses 15-17 the measurements of the city:
- The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls.
- The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.
- He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using.
Imagine, 12,000 Stadia in its length, width and height. This is equivalent to 1,400 miles. That's really a large city, where there's going to be plenty of room for people who wants to go there. Then, you also have the walls of 144 cubits thick, which is equal to 216 feet. The walls are significant to drive across the truth that heaven is not for everyone. But most importantly, if heaven can be measured, then it must be an actual place. It is not just a state of mind.
Rev. Randy Alcorn in his book, Heaven, said that Satan loves to slander three things: God's person, God's people, and God's place, which is heaven. I hope we will not be deceived. We should always believe that heaven is a genuine place.
II IT IS A GLORIOUS PLACE:
Another aspect of heaven that we will find in our passage is the fact that it is going to be the most beautiful place you would ever be. Nothing in this present world can even come close to it.
How do I know this? Well, in our text Jesus said, "I am going there to prepare a place for you." Clearly, Jesus Himself is the one responsible in preparing a special place for His children. This is the key element. Since He is a God of beauty and a powerful God, He will definitely create the most beautiful and glorious place that is beyond our comprehension. When you go to the book of Revelation, you have some images or descriptions of how glorious this place would be. Let me say that though this will give us some images, I still believe it would be much greater than what we imagine.
- The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.
- The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
- the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
- The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
- I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
- The city does 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.
Imagine this in your mind, the wall was made of Jasper, and the entire city was made of pure gold as clear as a glass. Then you have foundations made of different stones with different colors. Some of them are blue like sapphire, jacinth, and amethyst. Some are green like jasper, chalcedony, emerald, beryl, topaz, and chrysoprase. Others were red like sardonyx. Then you have the yellow stone, the chrysolite. You also have the 12 gates which are made of pearls. Plus the streets which are made of pure gold. And the city did not need street lights or the sun or moon because the glory of God is enough to brighten the entire place. Wow! God has truly lavish His home with glory and beauty, and He is willing to share all of these to all of us.
This is such a great truth! With all the hardships and sufferings here on earth, we should bear in mind that we are all looking forward to a much glorious place. Remember, you are only a pilgrim on this world.
- All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
- People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.
- If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
- Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
III IT IS A GRACIOUS PLACE:
Lastly, this would not be a complete message if we do not talk about who can go to heaven. In our text, Jesus was speaking to his disciples, and so when he said I'm preparing a place for you, he was referring to them, right? The answer is yes, and no.
Yes, the disciples are included. And no, because the Bible clearly declares that heaven is reserve for everyone who has believed and received Jesus Christ fully in their heart. Jesus in verse 6 clarifies who can go to heaven - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Most people would like to assume that when they die, they are going to heaven. Often, people base their going to heaven on account of their being good. The problem is: even the best people of the world sin. The Bible clearly declares:
- for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
This is where God's grace plays a big part. Because He wants to offer heaven to us, He gave up His one and only Son to die on the cross, so He can be the basis for our forgiveness. Without appropriating Christ's work, the blood He shed for you and I, we cannot go to heaven. Heaven is really a gracious place because it is reserve for people who have been saved by grace. Paul gave witness to it:
- For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
- not by works, so that no one can boast.
If we missed on heaven, hell is the only alternative. You don't want to go there. While we are still alive, we want to make our reservation in heaven. Let's surrender our hearts fully to the Lord Jesus. He is the only way for us to go to heaven.