Sunday, May 24, 2020 am – online lesson
Who Will Be In Heaven?
Last Sunday we presented a lesson designed to describe what heaven will
be like. We noted that it is
a very real place and also some of the descriptions of what it will be
like – an eternal place that is described as Paradise (i.e. a beautiful
and perfect park), a place BETTER than anything we find in this world, a
place of rest and peace, and where there will be no more sickness,
dying, tears or even disappointments. My
goal was in some small way make heaven a place we desire to go when this
life is over. A place that
when we face discouragement, disappointments, and frustration, we can
anticipate receiving and as such we will SET OUR MIND on getting there
(Colossians 3:1-2).
Today, I want to talk about another aspect of heaven – WHO will be
there. This ought to be one
of the greatest motivators to us.
a.
Clearly God is in heaven
– Matthew 5:16, 6:9 – as Jesus taught us to pray; Isaiah 63:15 –
describes it as His habitation.
b.
Jesus is in heaven –
Luke 24:51 notes that Jesus was carried up into heaven (cf. Acts 1:9-11)
Ephesians 1:20 – God raised Jesus and seated Him at His right hand;
Hebrews 8:1, He is our High Priest, seated at the right hand of God.
Probably the most common description of Jesus now in heaven is that He
is seated at the right hand of God and now reigning.
Of course, Christians have no problem accepting that is where
Jesus is.
c.
The Holy Spirit is in
heaven – John 1:32, 1 Peter 1:12 – the gospel was sent from heaven by
the Holy Spirit: Revelation
1:4 mentions the 7 Spirits who are before the throne.
Revelation 22:17 puts Him with Christ, the bride.
d.
There is something to be
said about being in the presence of our Creator and God.
Knowing that finally we will get
to see Him face to face and not only that but to welcomed into His
presence to dwell with God for all of eternity.
Jesus used that as a source of hope as He spoke to His apostles in John
14:1-3;
1 Thessalonians 4:17 speaks of the Lord’s return and how we (the saved)
will be caught up in the air to meet the Lord, “And thus we shall always
be with the Lord.” NOTE also vs.
18, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
a.
Everybody needs heroes.
Most of us have someone we look up to as a hero – someone who
inspires us to be better. As
Christians, it is certainly my hope that such is how we view our Lord.
b.
But throughout the Bible
we read of many godly individuals who lived for God and we have every
reason to believe they will be in heaven, when they day comes.
Some of these individuals include:
i.
Enoch – Genesis 5:21-24,
Hebrews 11:5 – a man prior to the flood who walked with God and did not
see death because God took him.
ii.
Abraham – Genesis
12:1-3, mentioned more than 250 times in the Bible, with more than 75
times in the New Testament.
He is described as the ultimate example of faith.
We, the saved, are called, “sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7)
iii.
Noah – who by faith
built an ark, saving only himself and his family of 8 (Genesis 6-8,
Hebrews 11:7).
iv.
Joseph, son of Jacob
(Genesis 30-50) – became a great deliverer for the descendants of
Israel.
v.
Moses – who gave the Law
to the children of Israel and faithfully led God’s nation for 40 years,
which were not always easy.
vi.
Joshua - who led the
conquest of the land. 1 of
only 2 out of 12 spies who by faith was ready to obey God to take the
land of Canaan the first time.
His dying declaration was that we choose who we are to serve,
“but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15)
vii.
Samuel the prophet –
mentioned in Hebrews 11:32 for his faith.
He did many good things for the children of Israel in the name of
God, including anointing Israel’s first 2 kings.
viii.
David – a man after
God’s own heart (Acts 13:22, 1 Samuel 13:14) and establisher of the
throne that our Lord reigns upon in heaven, even now.
He made some major blunders during his life, but we have every
confidence to believe he is among the saved who will be there in heaven.
ix.
Elijah and the faithful
prophets – Elijah, was carried up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2).
He did not see death, a testament to his faithfulness.
x.
The apostles – except
Judas Iscariot – they are the foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem
(Revelation 21:14), and built the church.
We read of many of their works throughout the New Testament,
including the martyred death of some.
xi.
Paul – God’s apostle
“out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:8).
Paul brought the message of the gospel to the Gentiles, preaching
a message of unity for ALL men, both Jew and Gentile alike – the very
premise of the gospel (Romans 1:16)
xii.
Men like Timothy, Luke,
Epaphroditus (Philippi), Barnabas, John Mark his nephew,
Stephen who was stoned to death
for preaching the truth, and so many others – men about whom we have
limited knowledge, but we know enough to have confidence concerning
their eternal destiny.
xiii.
Women like Mary the
mother of Jesus, who faithfully submitted to God to bring our Savior
into the world, the other Marys who ministered to Jesus and other
disciples, Lois and Eunice (Timothy’s grandmother and mother – 2 Timothy
1:5), Esther – who delivered Israel from destruction by trusting God,
Jochebed (Moses’ mother) – who by faith hid Moses, and raised him in
Egypt, Ruth and Naomi – a faithful mother and her daughter-in-law – Ruth
is mentioned in the lineage of Jesus (Matthew 1:5) – she is the
grandmother of David, and so many
other faithful women. In
God’s eyes, there is neither “male nor female…” (Galatians 3:27-28, 1
Timothy 2:15 speaks specifically of the woman’s salvation by fulfilling
her role before God).
xiv.
Cornelius and other
Gentiles – Acts 10 records the conversion of Cornelius and his household
– he is the first full Gentile recorded to obey the gospel.
Again, I appeal to Galatians 3:27-28 – there is neither Jew nor
Greek (Gentile).
xv.
Faithful martyrs who
loved not their lives to the death – Revelation 12:11.
There is a scene in that book about these martyrs who faithfully
served God to the point of dying and are now crying for justice from God
– He has granted it.
xvi.
You may know of others who you believe died faithfully serving God.
We have hope to be with them and possibly see them again when
this life is over. Consider
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 where Paul addresses those who “have fallen
asleep.” We do not sorrow as
those who have no hope.
Godly men and women still speak to us (cf. Hebrews 11:4).
c.
NOTE: I do not have a
definitive answer for how these lived their lives and how they died.
But BASED upon God’s word, I have every reason to believe they
are safely with God and His people.
I know for certain about a few – Moses and Elijah (we see them
conversing with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration) and Enoch (who
did not see death), and even Paul and Peter, based on their final
letters as they neared the end of their lives we know they didn’t quit.
But the rest, we just learn from what is written about them,
those who pleased God and He takes note.
d.
Why provide such a list?
When we become discouraged and seek to give up, or think we are
alone in serving God, know better.
Pick up God’s word and read about your heroes and what they went
through. Likely, some of
them endured much more than what we face today.
Consider Romans 15:4 – it is written for our learning to give us
hope.
a.
Heavenly beings
– in addition to
the Triune God, we also read of various angelic being who are there.
This lesson will not study about angels, but we simply note they
are God’s messengers, “ministering spirits” sent to care for those who
will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:7, 14).
Mark 8:38 notes that when Jesus returns holy angels will be
with Him.
b.
Infants and little
children
– who die will be safe in God’s eyes.
They have never sinned because they do not even know what sin is.
If those who are lost are so because of their own sins (which is
what the Bible teaches – Romans 3:23, 6:23), then one incapable of
sinning cannot be lost. That
describes a baby. Consider
Luke 18:16-17 where Jesus said, But Jesus called them to Him and
said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for
of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not
receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”
Also Matthew 18:3, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you
are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter
the kingdom of heaven.
2 Samuel 12:22-23, after
David’s infant child dies he replies, “I shall go to him, but he
shall not return to me.”
c.
Those incapable of sinning – i.e. the mentally challenged – there are many who are
mentally incapable of sinning, who never have and will never have the
ability to comprehend sin and salvation.
The Bible does not deal with this directly (at least to my
knowledge). But I do believe
they are safe.
If sin is an act done by one who knows what sin is (again Romans 6:23),
and the lost are those who by their actions set themselves at enmity
with God (and thus need forgiveness), then such are as safe in the arms
of God as infants and little children.
This is consistent with God being just and righteous.
a.
The New Testament is
book written by Christians for Christians. While a major purpose is to
convince the world WHY they need Jesus and to be saved, so much of it is
written to the saved – those with a hope of heaven when this life is
over, and how to ensure that you will be there.
Last week we talked about heirs and their inheritance as a source
of hope.
b.
Is your name in the book
of life?
– cf. Revelation 20:12-15, Philippians 4:3 – Paul described his fellow
workers. None will be there
by mistake and none will be excluded by mistake.
Another way of saying this is to say that you are saved and that you
stay saved.
c.
So many passages
describe how we can get there and that is what we want to devote the
remainder of this lesson to.
i.
We need to obey the gospel – Jesus came to this earth and shed His blood for the
remission of our sins (Matthew 26:28, Romans 5:6-9).
Since Jesus died for our sins, how do we come in contact with His
blood?
We call this the “plan of salvation.”
We must:
1.
Hear the word
– Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing
2.
Believe in Jesus
– who He is, why He came, what He did, etc. – John 8:24, “If you do not
believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Romans 10:9-10 points to some of what we must believe.
NOTE: The idea of belief is more than simple mental acknowledgment of
existence, it is believing something to the point of responding – cf.
Acts 2:37
3.
Repent
– crucial to becoming a Christian is a realization that you are changing
your life. You must renounce
your ungodly ways – Acts 17:30-31, 2:38, 3:19 – repent and be converted
(return).
4.
Confess Him as Lord and
Christ –
Romans 10:9-10 – confess the Lord Jesus Christ, cf. Acts 8:37 – the
Ethiopian Eunuch
5.
Be immersed
– baptized for the
remission of your sins. Acts
2:38, Mark 16:16, Note Romans 6:3-4 and how this act ties in with the
death and resurrection of Jesus.
6.
IF you want to go to
heaven, obey
the gospel!
ii.
We need to remain faithful – Revelation 2:10, “Be faithful unto death.”
Luke 9:62, No one having put his hand to the plow and looking back…
Hebrews 10:38-39 – if
anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in them…
Being a Christian is a lifetime commitment.
God EXPECTS us to remain faithful and will reward those who
faithfully serve Him.
NOTE: Revelation 3:5 notes that our name can be blotted out of the book
of life (removed).
Cf. Galatians 5:4, “You have fallen from grace” – it IS possible.
iii.
We need to live godly lives – 2 Peter 1:5-11 – we are continually adding these godly
qualities that help us resist and overcome sin.
Note esp. vs 10-11.
Romans 2:7 speaks of those who by patient continuance in doing good seek
for glory, honor and immortality.
iv.
We need to fight the good fight, finish the course and keep the faith
– 2 Timothy 4:7-8. The one
who desires to God to heaven is one who will keep working.
We are not merely keeping house for the Lord, but fighting the
good fight for Him.
Nowhere in scripture do we see Christianity described as a spectator
sport.
v.
Those who have genuinely repented – even as Christians, we are going to sin from time to
time. To deny this is to lie
(cf. 1 John 1:8-10). But we
also find in that text, that if we confess our sins to God, He is
faithful and just to forgive us. He continues in 1 John 2:1-2
Acts 8:22, Simon, the magician was told to “repent and pray”.
vi.
We must die in the Lord
– blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.
Revelation 14:13. Revelation 2:10 again notes, “Be faithful until
death…”
vii.
NOTE: These things
are not a pick and choose which one list, but a description of who will
be in heaven. In
summary, this is descriptive of the one who becomes a Christian and
remains faithful as a Christian to the end.
It really is that simple – hard, but simple!
But
sadly, not everyone will be there.
In fact, scripture is pretty clear that most will NOT be saved.
This lesson as described those who will be saved and that implies
some will not. But I want
you to know that God wants you to go to heaven and thus He has given you
a plan that you CAN obey.
But will you? Think about
it! Do you want to go to
heaven?