What Does the Bible Mean When it Speaks on Heaven Part 2

Pastor Mike will be speaking on What Does the Bible Mean When it Speaks on Heaven Part 2. He will be reading out of 2nd Corinthians 12:2-4.

Yes, Christ is returning. He will descend from heaven. The archangel will shout, and the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised, and believers will be caught up, and we will meet the Lord in the air.

You better make sure that you are ready to meet Jesus Christ. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders all the way from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Hopeworth having radio, and we are delighted that you’re with us, and we’re looking forward to what God has to say, and we’re continuing to learn about what does the Bible mean when it speaks of heaven.

We’ll be in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 2 and 4. A lot of people have questions about heaven, and they want to know what that means, and we want to learn more about what the Bible teaches about heaven. So let’s get into this study and take advantage of it. Heaven is like a utopia.

It is a beautiful place. It is a place where there is no sin, and there is no sorrow. This place, the third heaven, referred to as paradise in our texts, the apostle says is inexpressible.

It’s very hard for us to articulate and describe all that the apostle saw when God took him to the third heaven, and he saw things, and he heard things that he could not articulate, that he could not explain, that he could not fully share with the people of God. It is this third heaven that I want you to understand what the Bible teaches us about. A few weeks ago, we learned, first of all, that heaven is a place where God dwells.

Over and over again, we see that Jesus was a man of prayer, and Jesus set that example for us, and he prayed, and he gave us a template on how to pray and what to pray, and we know that prayer is often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer, and we know it starts out in Matthew chapter 6 as our Father, which art in heaven, for even Jesus our Lord and Savior recognized that heaven is the dwelling place of God. The second thing that we learned is that heaven is a place where angels dwell. We talked a little bit about angels and their ministry to us.

We talked about how God does give us guardian angels according to Matthew 18 and verse 10, and we understand that God uses angels to intervene into our lives, to perform his purposes, and to help us in our struggles and our difficulties in life, and that they are referred to as ministering angels. But the primary purpose of the angels is to be a messenger, a messenger. Think about those angels that gave that wonderful message to the shepherds about the birth of our Lord and Savior, and think about those angels that gave the wonderful message to the women who came to the tomb to find and look for our Savior, only to find that the angel said, he is not here.

Why are you looking for the living among the dead? They declared unto these women that Jesus Christ has risen, and he is alive today and forever more. Today I want us to learn thirdly that heaven is a place in which Jesus ascended from, and it is a place in which he will descend from. In heaven, Christ pre-existed with the Father.

You cannot be confused. The birth of our Savior was not the beginning of our Savior. We understand that God is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

We understand that Jesus Christ was there at the beginning. In John 17 verse 5, we are reminded that before the world existed, that Jesus Christ pre-existed with the Father. It was Jesus who was there with the Father, and he was there with the Spirit, and they created the world, and they created all the creatures of the world, and they created mankind, they created Adam, and they created Eve, and friends, they created time, and before time began, God already was.

You might struggle with that, but we encourage you to study the Gospel of John chapter 1, in which we are told that in the beginning, that God, that Christ, the Word, was, which is in the past tense, and means that he had already existed in the beginning of time. The Word was, and so he was God, he was with God, and he existed before time began, but Christ became flesh, and we understand that Jesus came from heaven, but we also understand that he returned to heaven, that after his resurrection, he walked on this earth for 40 days, and then he ascended to heaven, and he is now sitting at the right hand of the Father, and that one day, church, Jesus Christ will return from heaven, and he will establish his kingdom on this earth forever and ever. Can God’s people say amen? Forty days after his resurrection, Luke tells us that Jesus walked on this earth.

It wasn’t something magical. It wasn’t even mystical. It wasn’t something that was mysterious.

Jesus presented himself in his glorious body, a body that you and I will have one day like his. He presented himself to his apostles, and the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 that he presented himself to over 500 people. In the court of law, two witnesses establishes everything.

In the book of the Old Testament, the prophet said that two witnesses establishes all truth, and here Jesus, giving us more than two witnesses, over 500 people witnessed his resurrected body and interacted with him, and they felt him, and they touched him, and they witnessed and saw a resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ, and then the Bible tells us on the Mount of Olives, he dramatically ascended into heaven. Amazingly, in his glorified body, Jesus defied gravity, and he demonstrated the power of God as he ascended into the heavenly dwelling of God the Father, and there Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the Father. Now, since the ascension of Jesus Christ, that conquering spirit that was demonstrated on the ascension of Jesus Christ, that great demonstration of the power of God, it is that conquering spirit of power and life that now reigns within each and every believer that lives by faith.

That is why the psalmist said that he is the lifter up of my head, and that is why your pastor always tells you get your head up because you have a Savior, and you have the Spirit of God living within you, and we’re not to be people of self-pity, and we’re not to be bemoaning our circumstances. We are not to be those who are victims, but rather we are victorious in the Lord Jesus Christ. We take our Bible, and we turn this morning to Acts chapter 1. I want you to go there with me.

The book of Acts, if you’re not familiar, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and then Acts chapter 1. Acts chapter 1, we are given a picture of this ascension of our Savior, one that you as a believer must spend much time on, and you must consider these wonderful truths and this great demonstration of the power of God in defying gravity and overcoming this world. It is in verse 9 through 11 of Acts chapter 1. Now, when he had spoken these things, while they watched, who was watching? The disciples. He was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel. There’s those angels again, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him go in to heaven. It is on the Mount of Olives that you and I can see Jesus ascending into heaven.

And after he has commissioned his disciples to go and take the gospel to the ends of the earth, to every person on this planet, he reminds them that one day he’s coming back. And that is the motivation and the stimulation that we need, that we might be faithful in what God has called us in these days. Because one day, church, we will see him return on the Mount of Olives.

Yes, Christ is returning. I want you to know that, church. I want you to be reaffirmed in that.

I want you to build your hope in that. He will descend from heaven. The archangel will shout, and the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised, and believers will be caught up, and we will meet the Lord in the air.

You better make sure that you are ready to meet Jesus Christ. Now, friends, Jesus gave us the signs of the times, and we see and witness the signs of the times all around us. And they are signals to each of our hearts to make sure that we are ready to meet Jesus.

Now, you may be like those when Jesus called to follow him. They said that they had other things to do, and that they had to take care of this, and they had to take care of that, and then they would come and follow Jesus. No, my friends, there is nothing more important in your life than giving your life fully to Jesus Christ and following him today.

Because today is the day of salvation. It is not tomorrow. Today is the day that God is calling you.

It is essential that you launch in with a heart and a spirit excited and ready to meet the Lord Jesus Christ, for he is coming. The Bible says in Revelation 1-7, Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so, amen, he will return.

How will Jesus return? I want you to write this down. How will Jesus return? Well, the book of Acts tells us in verses 9-11. Do you remember what the angel said? This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven.

First, it was a visible coming. It’s not like it’s going to be something that you can’t see. You know, every once in a while, I might show up somewhere, and nobody’s there, and I thought they were supposed to be there, and there’s nobody there, and I wonder if I missed the rapture.

Well, friends, you don’t have to worry, because when Jesus comes, it’ll be visible. It’ll be visible. You will see it.

You will know it. And so keep that in mind. But I also want you to know it’ll be a victorious coming.

Jesus Christ, not only rising from the grave, was a victorious message to his followers, but his ascension into heaven was a victorious message to his followers, and it is a reminder that we have a Savior who has overcome death. He has overcome sin, and he has overcome this world, and now, my friends, he is the victor, and his victory is our victory, and therefore, we march in victory with the Lord Jesus Christ. But it’s a literal coming.

It’s not something made up. It’s not something that is part of fantasy land or some story in a book, but it is a literal coming of Jesus Christ. But I also want you to see that it is a physical coming.

When Jesus comes from heaven, it will be physical. We will be able to not only witness and visualize him, but we will be able to touch him, and we will be able to eat with him, and we will be able to fellowship with him, and we will be able to interact with him. It is a physical coming.

It’s not a spiritual coming. It’s not just something that is some kind of a magical coming, but rather, it is the physical coming of Jesus Christ from heaven and church. That is so important to our hearts.

Now, what does his return mean to me? If you’re taking notes, you might write these down because this is important, is at first, I will be held accountable. How about that one? We live in a day and age people don’t want to be accountable. They want to live their life like they want to.

They want to do what they want to do. They want to be able to just live for the world, live for the flesh, and live for whatever, but I’m here to tell you, my friends, that the return of Christ means we are all accountable, whether we are believers or unbelievers. Listen to the words of the apostle in 2 Corinthians 5.10, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad.

You got to give an account. As a believer, I’m accountable to God. Oh, my friends, do not be discouraged.

Do not misunderstand what I’m saying. The Bible tells us that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Jesus Christ. Yes, your sins have been forgiven if you believe in Jesus Christ.

Yes, your sins have been washed away, and my friends, he has taken care of your past, and he has risen from the grave to take care of your future, but in between your past and your future is the present, and God will hold you accountable for your life and how you live it for God and what you do for God. You’ll be held accountable. Now, some of you, you like to just sit and soak.

You like to just come and hear the pastor preach or hear the Sunday school teacher teach. You like to hear the testimonies. You like to sing the songs, but you walk out of here, and that’s the end of your faith.

It’s got to be beyond this pew. It’s got to be outside of this building, and you need to be serving regularly for the Lord Jesus Christ, and you need to be led of the spirit, and you need to be listening to what God is telling you to do or not to do, and you need to live your life for Christ, and you need to understand that God is calling you to be fully engaged on the front lines for him. You can’t just sit on the sidelines, and you can’t just complain about everything.

Don’t just sit on the sidelines and complain and find fault and want this or want that. Get in and be a part of the solution and get active for Jesus Christ because I’m telling you, you and I will be held accountable. The second thing, what does the return of Christ mean to me? It means I’ll be rewarded.

I will be rewarded. Rewards have to do with our service, not our salvation. Remember that our salvation was taken care of at the cross, and the moment that we repented and believed in Jesus Christ, our sins were washed away, and now we are a child of God, and the Bible says that God will give us everlasting life.

Now, how long is everlasting life? Forever, my friends. I’m a guy who believes the Bible. I’m a guy who takes the Bible at face value.

I don’t get into all this fancy of trying to divert or change this. I just believe what the word of God says, and you may have all your reasoning, and you may have all your questions, and you may have all your situations, but listen to me, friends. As I told my Sunday school class, we are called to walk by faith, not by explanations.

I don’t have all the answers to your questions, but I know who does, Jesus Christ, so I trust him and what he says, and I want you to know that salvation is a gift of God. For by grace are you saved through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast. Salvation is a gift of God, and rewards are based upon our work and service for God.

I’m not talking about your salvation. I’m talking about you being rewarded for what you have done for God, and some of you used to be so active for God, but you got your feelings hurt. Are you with me? You say, why’d you have to bring that up, pastor? Because it’s the truth, and so we get our feelings hurt, so we quit, and so we go hide, or we say we’re not going to do that anymore, and how’s that keeping the kingdom of God? How’s that helping the work of Christ? How’s that helping people get saved? Friends, I want you to know that if I quit every time that I was offended, I’m telling you I wouldn’t be the pastor of the open door church.

I don’t want you to misunderstand me, but I’ve been called the devil. I’ve been called the demon. I’ve been called a dictator.

I’ve been called all these names, and I tell people when they get fussy with me, and they start complaining to me, and they start whining to me, I say thank you for your input, and keep trucking for Jesus. Are you with me, church? Now, I can’t promise every member in this church is going to be perfect. How about that one? Guess what? We’re a fellowship of believers of imperfect people.

How about that? And even your pastor is imperfect. Let me tell you something. There’s nobody in this church.

Nobody in this church is going to stop me from living for Jesus and serving Jesus. If the elders rise up one day and say, Pastor Mike, it was a good run. You need to leave.

I’ll pack my bags. I’ll leave, and I’ll go somewhere else, but I’ll keep on serving Jesus. I’m not going to stand before God and say, Lord, I got on the sidelines because so-and-so hurt my feelings.

Friends, we live in an imperfect world, and people sometimes say stupid things, but I’m not going to stop serving Jesus because one day for my faithfulness to God and my obedience to God, I’m going to be rewarded by God when I stand in His presence. The Bible says in James 1.12, Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial, for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. Persevere.

Our motive rests in this glorious thought that one day Christ will return, and He will deliver us from this sin-filled world, and He will reward us for being faithful and obedient to Him. The third thing, what does His return mean to me, is that I will be reunited. We love 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 16 and 17.

There are Christians who are educated beyond their obedience, and they want to rip these verses out of the Bible, but I refuse to. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

I mean, it’s glorious enough to be with Jesus, amen, but to think that all of your loved ones, those who have preceded you in death, those who have already been promoted to heaven, those who have already graduated to heaven, that one day there’s going to be a great reunion, and we’re going to all be together, never to be separated again, and we can hug each other for as long as we want, and we can talk with each other as long as we want, and we can love on one another as much as we want, because we will be with Christ forever and ever and ever. Amen. In heaven, believers will enjoy blessed fellowship with others.

There are times we show up at our family reunions or our holiday get-togethers, and we wonder how that person ever got into our family, and we wonder, are they going to stir it up this Christmas or Thanksgiving, and then there are times that we gather, and someone’s supposed to be there, but they’re not. The chair is empty. They were with us last Thanksgiving, but now they’re in heaven.

When Jesus talked to his disciples, he reminded them and encouraged them. In John 16, verse 20, he said, Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice, and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy, and every tear that is shed and every heart that’s been broken and every heaviness that has been carried, because you miss your loved one in heaven, that sorrow one day at the return of Jesus will be turned into eternal joy, and you’ll never miss another meal with them, and you’ll never miss another moment with them, because you will be with them. Jesus consoles us with this hope, reminding us of an eternal reunion, and that one day he will return.

There is no sorrow in this life that can quench the hope and the joy of a promised eternal life with Jesus Christ. Now, my final point for you this morning is that heaven is a place where departed saints await their resurrections. Most people do not think about eternal life until they lose a loved one or a friend.

This is particularly those who are young, and when I officiate a funeral service, so many times the older people don’t have as many people come out, but when a young person dies, how they come out in droves, because the young do not think about eternal life, but it is important for us to think about eternal life. It’s important for us to think about where we will spend eternity. Will we be in eternity in heaven with Jesus, or will we be separated from Jesus in a place that is called hell? Believers who die in this present age reside in heaven.

The Bible says we are confident, yes, well pleased, rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. The moment that your loved one breathed their last breath, and the moment that they breathe this mortal air for the last time, in that instant, they instantaneously breathe immortal, eternal air in heaven with Jesus Christ. There is no in-between, and there is no religious ceremony necessary to help our brother or sister in Christ, our loved one who loves Jesus, to get from this world or some state of in-between into heaven.

You are instantly with Jesus upon the moment that God calls you home, and do not forget that church. The master craftsman from Nazareth, the carpenter, Jesus himself prepared a place for those who love him in heaven. Jesus said, I go to prepare a place for you.

Each one of you who loves Jesus, who repented of your sins, and you believe in Christ, he is preparing a place for you. And when he drives that final nail into that beautiful mansion up in heaven for you, he orders his angels in heaven to come down the stairways of heaven and to come and get his faithful and obedient servant. He promotes us.

We are escorted up the stairways of heaven into the presence of a Savior who loves us, and we hear those precious words, well done, thou good and faithful, what church? Servant. That’s what I want to hear. I hope you want to hear it.

D.L. Moody was a great evangelist in the 19th century, and he said, someday you’ll read in the papers, D.L. Moody is dead, but don’t you believe it, for at that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. Your loved one in heaven is more alive than they have ever been, and they are not only enjoying the presence of God, but they are enjoying the fellowship of God’s people, and I want you to hold on to that truth, and I want you to be encouraged in that truth, and the Bible tells us that one day they will be resurrected. Romans 6, 5, for if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

It is his resurrection, meaning Jesus’s resurrection, requires our resurrection, because his resurrection is part of a larger resurrection. The Bible says the dead in Christ shall what? Rise. I love it.

The same spirit of the father who raised the son’s body from the dead in history will also raise our bodies. Christ’s resurrection is a promise to each of you this morning, that your loved one, and you as well, if God tarries, will rise. Hold on, church, to this hope.

Let this hope sustain you, because there will come a day when the sap of a shame that sticks to our souls because of our past, when that shame will finally and fully be washed away as we stand smiling in the presence of God who has forgiven us and made us whole. There is coming a day when parents will not weep beside the coffin that encases the body of their child, for a trumpet will blast from heaven, and the earth will birth new bodies resurrected in all of their beauty. There will come a day when beggars will feast, and mourners will dance, and undertakers will laugh at being forever out of work.

There will come a day, church, when the word sin will not be in the dictionary, and the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the child will lay down next to the lion, and every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. There will come a day, my friends, when the worst days of our lives will vanish like a dream. Death will be dead, and the grave will be buried, and moreover, all who believe in Christ will see the dawn of the first day of a new creation, of a new heaven, and a new earth, and we will forever reside in the presence of God, and we will be reunited with our loved ones in this place that is so glorious, so majestic, so awesome, and beyond our words to articulate to you this morning.

We will reside with Jesus and our loved ones forever and ever and ever. Would you pray with me? We want to encourage you to make sure that you are keeping up with us on Facebook. We are on Facebook.

We broadcast every Sunday live, and you can see the streaming of our morning service, so take advantage of that, and second of all, you can just like our page and follow along with different posts and things that are going on that we’re sharing about the ministry. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.