Revelation 21-22.  Isaiah 65:12-25 

March 13, 2005. Pastor Matt

Story

The sound of Martha’s voice on the other end of the telephone always brought a smile to Brother Jim’s face. She was not only one of the oldest members of the congregation, but one of the most faithful. Aunt Martie, as all of the children called her, just seemed to ooze faith, hope, and love wherever she went. This time, however, there seemed to be an unusual tone to her words. "Jim, could you stop by this afternoon? I need to talk with you." "Of course, I’ll be there around three. Is that ok?"

It didn’t take long for Jim to discover the reason for what he had only sensed in her voice before. As they sat facing each other in the quiet of her small living room. Martha shared the news that her doctor had just discovered a previously undetected tumor. "He says I probably have six months to live". Martha’s words were naturally serious, yet there was a definite calm about her. "I’m so sorry to...." but before Jim could finish, Martha interrupted. "Don’t. The Lord has been good. I have lived a long life. I’m ready to go. You know that." "I know," Jim whispered with a reassuring nod.

"But I do want to talk with you about my funeral. I have been thinking about it, and there are things that I know I want." The two talked quietly for a long time. They talked about Martha’s favorite hymns, the passages of Scripture that had meant so much to her through the years, and the many memories they shared.

When it seemed that they had covered just about everything, Aunt Martie paused, looked up at Jim with a twinkle in her eye, and then added, "One more thing. When they bury me, I want my old Bible in one hand and a fork in the other". "A fork?" Jim was sure he had heard everything, but this caught him by surprise. "Why do you want to be buried with a fork?"

"I have been thinking about all of the church dinners and banquets that I attended through the years," she explained, "I couldn’t begin to count them all. But one thing sticks in my mind -- At those really nice get-togethers, when the meal was almost finished, a server or maybe the hostess would come by to collect the dirty dishes. I can hear the words now. Sometimes, at the best ones, somebody would lean over my shoulder and whisper, ’You can keep your fork.’ And do you know what that meant? Dessert was coming! "It didn’t mean a cup of Jell-O or pudding or even a dish of ice cream. You don’t need a fork for that. It meant the good stuff, like chocolate cake or cherry pie! When they told me I could keep my fork, I knew the best was yet to come!

"That’s exactly what I want people to talk about at my funeral. Oh, they can talk about all the good times we had together. That would be nice. But when they walk by my casket and look at my pretty blue dress, I want them to turn to one another and say, ’Why the fork’?

That’s what I want you to say, I want you to tell them, that I kept my fork because the best is yet to come!" Truly, for a child of God, the best is yet to come.

Is there a Heaven and what will it be like?

Last week we talked about how Heaven is a real place.  It is also the place of our new beginning.

As a bride beautifully dressed for her husband (2)

This is a big deal

-         the husband spends a year preparing

-         the wedding begins with a big “parade” leading to the bride’s house

-         the bride spends her whole life preparing for the big day

-         heaven is being compared to a wedding in regards to:

o       the amount of preparation involved

o       and the anticipation towards

1. Heaven is a place of “no mores” 21:2-4

Because God dwells among us…

A.  No more homelessness “…the dwelling of God is with men…” (verse 3)

To dwell: to pitch a tent, to reside, to tabernacle 

Tabernacle: A symbol of protection

o       When Moses led Israel out of Egypt, the Lord’s presence presented itself as a cloud and a pillar of the fire, always their to protect them and guide them

o        the Ark of the Covenant “contained” the presence of God

o       The Israelites would win or lose a battle depending on whether or not the Lord’s presence was with them

People move all the time in our society…

We are a hopping society: church hop, job hop, relationship hop, channel hop

……they are looking for peace, a final resting place, a place to call home

…….some people keep moving because they don’t want to sit still long enough

to focus on eternity in Heaven above

          ….people need to stop looking for it here on this earth

In Heaven, there will be no more searching for a place where everything will be ok

…earth is a rental property

B.  No more loneliness “…God himself will be with them and be their God them”(3)

Not many people want to be alone

-         we flood our world with noise, events and people so we don’t have to be alone

-         I know loneliness:

A poem I wrote as a kid:

Pain, pain, I’m a forgotten name

Your empty eyes drive me insane

Meaningless quotations is all I learn

Burn, burn in endless pain

-         At times I still feel lonely

Hebrews 13:5 “God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

In Heaven, this will be an everyday reality

We will live with God, walk, and talk with Him face to face. 

In the Garden, when there was no sin, man walked with God

Genesis 3:8-9.  Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"

When I spend all that time, walking and talking, I have a few questions for Him

1 Corinthians 13:12.  Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

When we get to heaven I believe God will have nothing but answers to our questions.

C. No more tears “wipe every tear from their eyes” (4)

          The same God that said this:

1 Peter 5:7.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

          Is the same God who will wipe the tears from your eyes…

                             …he knows your pain intimately but he is going to wipe it away

Jesus can wipe away our tears in an intimate way because He understands.

Hebrews 2:17-20

¹⁷For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for^[a]the sins of the people. ¹⁸Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 4:14

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,^[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. ¹⁶Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in

our time of need.

Wiping away our tears means no more sadness, no more depression, past hurts or pains

Isaiah 65:18-19.  But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.  I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more

He will replace our tears with true joy! 

If I could have anything at all it is true joy, not pretend joy

D. No more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain (4)

Death is real in this earth…

                             However, in Heaven, death is no more, there is only life

Isaiah 65:20.  "Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach  a hundred will be considered accursed.

Remember, we will spend eternity in Heaven

E. No more work (sort of)

Isaiah 65:21-23 they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.  No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat… For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands.  They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them.

(In contrast to Ecclesiastes 1:2-3.  "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."  What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?)

What were the two punishments in the Garden of Eden?

Genesis 3:16-19.  To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."  To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

-         Sin took the fun out of work

-         In Heaven, our work, what we do, will be fun and fruitful

F. No more of the old order of things (5)

Romans 5;12.  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—

Romans 5: 18-19.  Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.  For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

                   Sin messed everything up!

                   In heaven sin can’t mess things up any more

2. Heaven is an inheritance 21:5-8

To him who is thirsty…(6)

Are you thirsting for heaven?  I know I can’t wait!

The woman at the well…

John 4:14.  “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life”

Jesus is saying, drink me in, I am the one you thirst for

You will never thirst again because you will be with me forever

He who overcomes will inherit all this (7)

Who overcomes??

1 John 5:4-5.  for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Revelation 2:7.  To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Revelation 2:11. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Revelation 2:17. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
Revelation 2:26.  To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations–
Revelation 3:5.  He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
Revelation 3:12.  Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
Revelation 3:21.  To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Closing:

One simple question:  Are you going to this place called Heaven?

You can know for sure today.

Put your faith in Jesus and receive your inheritance: Heaven

The best part is yet to come