08/24/2019
Do you fear what lies ahead of you? Does the prospect of death cause you to lay awake at night, and tremble? Perhaps you seek comfort in what heaven will be like, but fear not, because Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us. We might be uncertain as to the nature of heaven, but we know God and Jesus, and in this knowledge we should be truly comforted as to what awaits us... such is heaven.
“He who opens the breach goes up before them; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the Lord at their head.”
Micah 2:13 ESV
We have many hints as to what heaven will be like... many rooms, mansions, 12 gates of pearl, a river of life on its streets, the tree of life on either side, no sun nor darkness because the radiant light of God lights everything, God’s name on our foreheads, and more, but Jesus gives us the best description from the cross, and He spoke it in a single word... paradise.
“And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."”
Luke 23:43 ESV
So regardless of what color your room will be in heaven, what material your mansion is constructed of, whether the roads are gold, or common stone, the water of life is blue, emerald green, or colorless in their clarity... the presence of God, and Jesus will make it paradise, just as their presence does today when we are with them here on earth. If we want to know heaven... then know God, know Jesus, and anticipate what it means to be with them in eternity.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalms 16:11 ESV
We are inclined to build heaven with our imaginations, which is the same as with our own hands; we do this to encourage ourselves, and calm our fears, but nothing can compare to what awaits us in the presence of God... no joy of our making, no city constructed of the finest materials we know, nothing we can build or conceive will be sufficient because at our best we can create only a copy.
“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”
Hebrews 9:24 ESV
When Ann and I were first married we went looking for a house to buy. We knew our budget, and what we needed in order to live comfortably, so we looked, and looked, until at last we found a little two bedroom bungalow no more than 900 square feet. The house was in good shape, with a detached garage that was pretty run down... but it matched our requirements, and our budgets, so we bought it. It was just a house, and had no soul, it was simply a place, but once we moved our meager furnishings into it something incredible happened... it took on the essence of our spirits... it became a home. The lifeless house began to reflect us, and as Ann decorated it, our presence became stronger there. Then one day Ann told me she was pregnant, and our presence grew yet stronger as we prepared the second small bedroom for more yet more life. We hear this said often about houses; “they made that house their home.”
Heaven is a lot like that; without God it is just a place, perhaps dark and cold, but God’s presence brings light to it, warmth, goodness, love, mercy... all that is Him, and His only begotten Son abides there with a Him. I drive by the first house Ann and I bought those many years ago, and think to myself “What did we see in such a house?” But then the memories of our living there well up in me, and for a brief instant I recall the house as our home. Today we live in another house, and our presence there in that house has made it our home. So what will our home look like in heaven?
“Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!”
Psalms 65:4 ESV
Years ago, I heard a pastor preach a wedding service, and he made a statement I thought of as truth... “Heaven is where God is, and right now He is in this place.” After saying this he thanked my son, and daughter-in-law, for allowing us to join them there as they stood in the presence of God to make covenant with one another; for giving us a moment together with them in heaven.
So, you are fearful about death, and yet you know that Jesus has conquered death, and you are afraid that you might not be forgiven of all your sins, but Jesus took on the sins of the world, and defeated them... we are washed clean. So now you worry about whether your mansion in heaven will be on Park Avenue, or just a tiny house on a little side street in Heaven? Well, let me tell you this... every earthly house where God resides with us is a home, and the joy He gives us is the same... rich man, or poor, those who walk upright, or who sit in a wheelchair, and if we can find peace and joy with Him here in this place then you can’t begin to imagine what awaits you there.
“Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Luke 12:31-32 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your presence in our lives, and your Son Jesus Christ who has defeated death and sin, and has now gone before us to prepare a place in your House, your home, for us. Thank you Merciful Father for every blessing, and pleasure, you provide us now, and thank you for the hope and promise of eternity with you that is yet before us. You give us your joy, and your peace, here in this place, and we thrill in our anticipation of what awaits us in heaven. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who abides in us, and allows us to abide in you. Great are you whose presence transforms us into your children, and our houses into homes. Wonderful is your name, and magnificent your promise, and hope, in lifting us by Jesus’s sacrifice into eternity with you. All glory is yours Father, and if we are the least in heaven it is enough to fill our hearts with boundless pleasure and joy forevermore. Praised be your name, and your grace, and praised be your Son Jesus.
“In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
John 14:2-3 ESV
Rich Forbes