This is Just What Heaven means to me
Phillipians 3: 20-21
Intro:
One thing I am certain of, that in
February 1962, the Lord
Jesus Christ saved my soul, and my name is written down
in a place called heaven. A
recent survey indicated that
77% believe in heaven, and of that percentage 76% believe
their chances of going is good.
But what I have is not based
on chance, but on the guarantee of God's Word.
In this
message, I want to declare what heaven means to me.
With heaven in mind and in sight:
I. I've Got Leaving on
My Mind (vs 20 "for our
conversation
is in heaven")
The word "conversation" means "citizenship". There
is no doubt my
citizenship is in heaven, but as a result of this, my
conversation
ought to be of a heavenly nature. My
conclusions
about heaven are:
A) To A Country that is
Magnificient
Heaven is beyond human comprehension.
No poet can des-
cribe it, no artist can depict it, no theologian can detail it.
1. It is magnificient in it's area
(Rev 21:16 "and the city lieth
foursguare, and the length is as large as the breadth; and he
measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs")
That measurement is equal to 1500 square miles.
It would en-
are area the size of Florida to Maine, and from New York to
the Mississippi river. It
would be 528,000 stories high which
would calculate to 250,000 miles per story.
It's total square
miles would be 1 trillion, 100 billion square miles.
There have
been 32 billion people who have lived on this earth since the
beginning of time. If
everyone of these had a place in heaven,
each person would have a room equal to 396 square miles.
2. It is
magnificient in it's appeal
(Rev 22: 1-2 "And he shewed
me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out
of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the midst of the street
of it, and on either side of the river, and there the tree of life,
which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every
month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nations").
Billy Sunday once said, "If we had a real appreciation for
heaven,
we would be so homesick that the devil would not have a friend".
B) To A Citizenship that
is Mandated
"for our conversation is in heaven" not only refers to what we see
but what we are also. Out
citizenship is not of this world, but it is
heaven. The word
"conversation" refers to a seat of government
in the country in which one has all rights and privileges of being
a citizen. "This world is not my home, I'm just passing thru"
II. I've God The Lord
in my heart
vs 20 "from
whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ")
Moving day is just ahead.
Our great Lord said in John 14,
"if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again, to receive
you
unto myself". What a blessed hope we
do have. This hope is:
A) The Scripture's
Declaration
One third of the Bible is about the 2nd coming.
There are 260
chapters that include 318 references.
Talked about more than
any other subject. Peter
declared "where is the hope of His
coming? Answer: it is
declared in the Scriptures.
B) The Saint's
Desire (vs 20 "we
look")
these words mean "to
look or gaze with eagerness".
It also implies "looking with a
longing". May we ever say
"Even So, Come Lord Jesus".
III. I've Got Life over
the Horizon
Vs 21
What
will it be when we get over yonder?
A) There will be
the joy of "mores"(vs 21 "who shall change
our vile bodies")
more grace, more glory, more praise, more
Jesus. We may be in the
minority here, but we will be in the
more-jority over there.
B) There will be
the jubilation of "evermores" (vs 21 "that it be
fashioned like unto his glorious body".
We are now in possess-
ion of only one half of eternal life, that is our soul.
But one day
we will receive the other half, that is our new glorified body.
C) There will be
the justification of "no mores" (vs21"whereby
He is able to subdue all things unto himself")
No more sin, no more sorrow, suffering, funerals, murders,
rapes, atheist, agnostics, God haters, time, excuses, unfaith-
fulness, etc.