SERMON MANUSCRIPT
For the next fourty minutes or so, I’d like to think with you about Heaven. Some people call this the afterlife, about what happens when you die, and though I can understand the thought, the term “afterlife” is technically incorrect and not something you find in the Bible. By the end of today’s sermon it is my prayer that you have a better understanding of Heaven, and that it may encourage you to seek it, to set your mind on it, and to look forward to it. I have a feeling that this sermon is about two years too late and was a better fit in the first month of the pandemic, in March 2020, but it is what it is. As a disclaimer, I know many jokes about Heaven, but I will not make any – Heaven is very real, and very serious.
Christians and non-Christians alike have many ideas about Heaven, and it is not something we often talk about (at least, I don’t. And if I’m honest, Heaven is also not something I often think about, other than when I stand by a graveside). There are two popular thoughts about Heaven, and both are wrong, in fact, they are lies. And there is a third lie I’d like to discuss in a little bit. The first thought is popular outside the church and goes something like this: “If you are a good person (whatever that means), when you die, you will go to Heaven”. It sounds reasonable, but it is a lie. The second is almost the opposite: “If you are saved, then it doesn’t really matter what you do on earth – you will go to Heaven anyway”. And so it can be that there are Christians who are comfortably cruising on earth, without giving their eternal destiny any thought. So why don’t we as believers think more about Heaven? I can think of some reasons: for one, life on earth is busy enough. Two, earth is now and known, Heaven is far away and we can’t see, and thinking about things you can’t see is hard work. Since our minds are inclined towards the earth, it is easier to stick to that. And three, how exactly is life on earth now connected with Heaven in future eternity? And you see, that is the main idea: life on earth now is very connected with Heaven and future eternity – it is not a break, they are very connected.
But before we talk about how Heaven and earth are connected, let’s first talk about the other wrong idea first – if you are a good person, when you die, you will go to Heaven. Let me flip it around. In order to go to Heaven, you need to die first. Makes sense, there is a very limited number of people who went to Heaven without dying. Say you die, then at some point after you died, you would need to appear before God’s throne in Heaven, and give an account to God Himself for everything that you have done and said here on earth. The Bible says: “And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27)”.
And without Jesus that is a truly terrifying prospect: you are standing before a holy God, and you realize that in God’s presence you are not at all that good, in fact, that you are a sinner and fall short of God’s holiness. You would quickly draw the conclusion that you don’t belong in Heaven at all and you rather run away from His presence, because it is unbearable. You did go to Heaven, but did not make it past the throne of God, and have no desire to stay there.
How does this look different for someone who belongs to the Lord Jesus? Well, there are three things that the Lord Jesus did that change this picture radically. The Lord Jesus is the only person who lived a life without sin, and who could have withstood judgment from God. Instead He (1) died for me on a cross, though He did not have to die or deserve to die, (2) He took the judgment for my sins, and (3) He rose from the grave. So how does this affect me? Big time! (1) Because Jesus died, I can die with Him, (2) because I died with Him, my sins are no longer judged, because He took the punishment for my sins, and (3) because He lives, I can live with Him.
Paul writes about this in another letter, Romans 6:5-8
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for the one who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.
Colossians 3:1 “Raised with Christ”
Now let’s look at the verse in three parts. The first part is: “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ”. Raised here is raised from the dead. The only way to be raised with Christ means that you must have died first. Is Paul talking about a future “when you die, when your body dies”? No, he writes this as a past event, this is something that already happened. He also writes this in verse 3: “For you have died…”, and Colossians 2:20: “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of this world…”. That is what Paul was writing in Romans: I died with Christ, I am united in the likeness of His death. What does that mean? Well, that I have said goodbye to this world, its desires and its sin. That is the picture of baptism: I go underwater, and it looks like I die. But that is not the end! Then the Bible says that if I die with Jesus, I will also be raised with Him, since the Lord Jesus rose from the death. I’m alive! That is one of those beautiful exchanges of the gospel: I was dead and deserved to die, but now I am alive with Jesus. Another exchange: my sin is gone, and replaced with Christ’s righteousness. Now when my body dies, and I don’t have to fear judgment before God’s throne. Why not? Because when God looks at me, He sees his Son, Jesus Christ in me – see Colossians 1:27b “…Christ in you”.
And so all my sins are forgiven, my present life is with Christ and my future life is with Christ. Christ is our life (3:4)! And that does not change when we go to Heaven. Not a break, life now and future life are connected through Jesus.
Colossians 3:1 “Set Your Mind on [Things] Above”
Now what do I do now? Paul continues: “Keep seeking the things above”, and in verse 2 he repeats: “Set your mind on the things above”. Above is Heaven, so seek the things of Heaven and set your mind on the things of Heaven. So instead of a Billie Joel singing “I’m in a New York state of mind”, believers ought to sing “I’m in a Heaven state of mind”. Why would Paul need to tell believers this? Why would we need reminders of this? Well, our minds are not inclined to Heavenly issues and eternal perspectives. It is work, we are easily distracted with the business and concerns, the woes and worries of this earth. We don’t really know what Heaven looks like. And Paul says, no, no: keep seeking, as an ongoing action. Set your mind on it. Practice it daily, make a habit out of it. And that is what I encourage you to do this week and the next: think of Heaven.
Colossians 3:1 “Where Christ Jesus is”
Does that mean that we can fantasize about what Heaven looks like? That we can design our own world of pleasure in the skies? Is it the Hollywood image of heaven that consists of its inhabitants strumming harps and floating on clouds for eternity? What if you can’t play the harp? Paul helps us here out, see how the verse continues: “Keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God”. Heaven is where the Lord Jesus is. He is the hope of Heaven (Colossians 1:5).
So let me tell you a bit about Heaven (as it currently is). I will tell you three things about Heaven that we have difficulty with, which is exactly why we need to practice ourselves in seeking the things above and setting our minds on it. It is not something we naturally like or are inclined to do.
In the book of Revelation, the apostle John gets a glimpse into Heaven, and we read in chapter 5:
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing.”
13 And I heard every created thing which is in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, or on the sea, and all the things in them, saying,
“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion forever and ever.”
14 And the four living creatures were saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
Sometimes, in an honest moment, I might admit that this Heaven does not sound appealing at all. Well, that is why I need to change my mindset, or as Paul says: set your minds on things above.
- Heaven is a place where God is worshiped. Because of sin we do not like and we do not want to worship God. What does worship mean? Worship is to bow down and devote yourselves. We can worship anything, but only God and the Lord Jesus ought to be worshiped.
- Heaven is a place with a throne, which speaks of authority – people who reign sit on thrones. We don’t like authority, somebody who controls our life and tells us what to do. We don’t like it with our earthly governments, and we also don’t like it when God does it.
- Heaven is the place where God is: God is holy, and in the presence of God we become aware who we are and how sinful we are. This description of Heaven is terrifying. If we read in the Bible how man and women respond when they see an angel, how about when they see millions of angels?
And so we need to change our mindset. If our life is a life of worship to God, then Heaven will not be that different, only better. If in our lives we practice obedience to God and walk in faith, then Heaven will not be so different, only then faith will become sight. And God’s holiness does not change, but what changes is that we learn to desire holiness.
Now you can also see why there are lies about Heaven floating around – disinformation: the devil hates it when people worship God, obey His authority and desire to be with God. There are probably more things to think about Heaven, but these three are something to think about and set our minds straight.
Nate, how can we sure that Heaven is not a boring place? That thought is a lie. I can be sure of that because God is good, creative and all true joy finds it source in Him. The same God who created the Rocky Mountains, the beaches of Florida and the spectacular colors of changing leaves is the God who will make a new Heaven and a new earth. How dare we think that Heaven will be boring! You know, I have a hard time believing that God is a God of true joy, and I need to repent of that. It is impossible for humans to experience more joy than God can give. Have you ever thought on a roadtrip through the forests, I wish this never ends? Or at a wedding dinner with family and friends: “this is wonderful, I’m so content and satisfied, this is happiness”. Or after a good Sunday morning, I wish that we could do one more song? C.S. Lewis writes: “No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.” Heaven is not only the place of ultimate joy, it is the place of real joy.
Nate, are you really sure that Heaven is not a boring place? I am really sure. Heaven is where the Lord Jesus is. Have you ever read the gospels, and thought to yourself: I wish I was there? I wish I could just sit and have lunch with Jesus and talk with Him? I read the Gospels, and see many people attracted to Him, because they knew that He loved them. And so I have no reason to believe that the Lord Jesus will be different in Heaven: He is full of love, kind and compassionate, desires to have us in Heaven with Him and will one day make all things new. And that is why Paul reminds us: we live with the Lord Jesus now, and we will live with Him in glory. That is not a break, or separate worlds – live now and live with Him, it is a continuity.
To Conclude: Jesus, the Hope of Heaven
Colossians 3:1: “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God”. I hope we now have a better understanding of what that means: Heaven is the place where the Lord Jesus is and where people desire to be with Him, because they love Him. It is the place where He is worshiped, and where everyone submits to His authority before His throne.
Where is Heaven? My wife and I are from different countries, and have lived in a few since we got married. We discovered after our marriage that if you marry someone from another country, you don’t really have a natural place to call home anymore. Either you make your home in one of each other’s countries and one of the two spouses is miserable, or you pick a third country where both of you feel miserable. And now when people ask me where home is, I typically reply with: “Home is wherever my wife is, she can make any place a home”.
I think that it is the same for the one who believes in the Lord Jesus. If we died with Him, and have been raised up with Him, if we love Him and know how much He loves us, then home is wherever the Lord Jesus is. And I imagine that one day you find yourselves walking toward the Heavenly gate, and you knock on the door there – this is just my imagination – you see the big doors, beautifully adorned and they swing open and you see the Lord Jesus there with open arms. “There you are! Welcome home! I have been expecting you, your mansion is ready, there are some friends waiting to see you by the fireplace and tomorrow morning you and I are going to have breakfast”.
Nate and his wife Becky moved to Canada from Germany with their four children in the summer of 2019, after he accepted a job at the University of Toronto, teaching and doing research in economics. He is actively involved in the music team at Oakridge, as well as leading at the table during corporate worship.
