Rick Warren - The Reality of Heaven —Part Two

Are Heaven and Hell real places?

And what are they like? Today?

On Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, the Bible Teaching Ministry of

Rick Warren, we continue his series called Eternal Realities Heaven

and Hell. In these lessons, Rick shares what the Bible

says about heaven and Hell and how you can be

absolutely certain you'll go to heaven. And now here's part

two of a message called the Reality of Heaven.

Did you know that the Bible says God has stored

up every tear in Heaven that you've ever cried. He's

kept a record of it, that your tears, your pain,

God knows about, he cares about. But when you get

to Heaven, there's going to be no more sadness.

That's a good thing.

No more broken hearts, no more rejection, no more loneliness,

no more sorrow, no more sadness, no more grief, more heartache.

That is Heaven. That is Heaven.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There

will never be a split second in the billions and

trillions of years you'll live that you will have sadness

or grief again, or depression. Now, those of you who

are right now going through grief and you're carrying the

grief of a loved one, or you've been going through

a period of depression. One of the things that that

does in our lives is it just makes Heaven be

a little bit more close. We want to go to

Heaven when we're in pain. Why because there is none there.

Not only no sickness, no sadness. The Bible says, no suffering.

Look at this verse. The Bible says, no more hunger,

no more thirst, no more scorching heat. You know what,

when I get to Heaven, my wife and I won't

have different controls on the thermostat anymore, because we're all

Why is that that you marry somebody who's so much

hotter or colder than you are.

I don't know.

But the truth is there's no suffering. Every one of

your needs will be satisfied. Not only that, no suffering,

no sadness, no sickness, no sin.

Look at this verse on screen.

The Bible says God will bring you into His glorious presence,

innocent of all sin and with great joy. Now we

talked about this last week. Heaven is the perfect place,

and I'm not perfect, and neither are you. So God

has to come up with the solution, because there's no

way I'm getting I stopped being perfect many many, many

years ago, and you did too. All have sinned, all

have fallen short, we've all blown it. We're all sinners,

we've all made mistakes. Nobody lives a perfect life, zip nobody,

but heaven's perfect. So how can God let imperfect people

into heaven without messing it up? Well, that's what Jesus

Christ came to do, to die on the cross and

pay for all our sins, to wipe it all out,

to forgive us and to make us perfect inside, so

that when we go into heaven, he says, we'll go

innocent of all our sin. One of the things that's

going to happen is when you see Jesus Christ face

to face. The Bible says your character.

Will be instantly changed to be like him. Still going

to be the same you.

People gonna recognize you. You're still going to have your personality,

you're going to be. God would not waste what He's

put into you. God didn't going to take what he

made you to be and then turn you into robot.

When you get heaven, do you understand that you'll still

be you? And that's why He made you to be you,

and he wants you to be you not only an

eternity but here on earth. But he says, your character

is going to become like Jesus. I don't know about you,

but I'm looking forward to the moment that I no

longer have any hang ups, that I no longer have

any fears. Can you imagine what it will be to

live no fear, no guilt, no resentment, no worry, no bitterness,

no anger, no envy, no jealousy, no loneliness, perfection. But

it's still gonna be you. You'll be a whole lot

more fun to live with and I will too. And

when we get to heaven, you come over to my

house for a million years and we'll hang out, and

then we'll go over to your place for a millionayears,

and you know, we'll just it's gonna be fun, man, Okay,

So it's gonna be great. No sadness, no suffering, no sin,

and number five, no death, immortality. The Bible says this,

there shall be no more death, no sorrow, no crying,

and no pain. All of that will be gone forever.

For those of you who are living in chronic pain,

that's good news for those who've suffered with that pain

in whatever part of your body that you've suffered with

because your body is not perfect. It is broken here

on this planet. God says, when you get there, you

get a new body, you get new emotions, you get

new character, and there's no death. I'm glad that I

don't have to live for eternity with my habits and

my hurts and my hang ups, but all God's gonna

make me.

If it were, that'd be hell.

But God says, no, I'm going to make it all

perfect and then there'll be no death. Those are five

things you won't find in heaven. Now I'll look at

the list five things you will find in heaven. First

thing you're gonna find in heaven is reunion with every

other believer and those all those people that I love who.

Know the Lord.

When we get to heaven, as I said, we're gonna

have a party, and we're gonna we're gonna be reunited together.

The Bible says this, we looked at this verse ear

This was God's purpose that when the time is right,

he will gather us all together. There's going to be

a reunion. He will gather us all together from wherever

we are to be with Him in Christ forever. Now,

who's going to be in heaven? Big question, Who's going

to be in heaven? Well, God, the Father, the Son,

the Holy Spirit, theyre going to be in heaven. Angels

are going to be in heaven. Of the Church is

going to be in heaven. Everybody who has put their

trust in Christ. And all the believers who were believers

in God before Jesus came in the Old Testament, who

we look back to the Messiah. They looked forward to

the Messiah. The people in the Old Testament were saved

the same way. The people today are saved by looking

forward to a savior, and we look back to a savior.

But we're saved the exact same way. Let me show

you verse Hebrews twelve. He says, you have come to

the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. This

is heaven, and to the gathering. Now notice all the people.

He mentions, the gathering of countless happy angels. Angels will

be there, and to the church. Church are going to

be there, every believer composed of all those registered in

heaven and to God. Obviously, God's going to be there

who is the judge of all and to the spirits

of righteous people made perfect?

Who's that?

That's the people born before Jesus Christ, who in faith

lived and listened and looked forward to the promise that

God had made. One day, I'm sending a savior and

to Jesus himself.

They're all going to be there in heaven. Now.

One of the most common questions I hear is what

about babies.

What about babies who died?

Friend, They're all going to be in heaven, every single

one of them.

Yeah, you need to know that.

Why Because we are not responsible for what we cannot understand.

The same is true of a child.

Who grows up to full adulthood but does not have

the mental capacity to understand the love of Jesus Christ.

Now they can understand some sometimes.

You know.

It's interesting when they first communicated to Helen Keller, who

was blind and death, and they communicated to her the

concept of God. She said, I've always known him, I

just didn't know his name. Isn't that interesting? I've always

known him in my heart. In fact, often children are

more in contact with God than we are. They're much

more sensitive, and that's why the Bible says, unless you

become as children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of God. Why,

because kids are humble, they're open to God. We close

off with our pride and we say no, no, no, no no.

God says no no. They're gonna be in heaven. Now

when they have not reached an age old enough to

understand the difference between right and wrong, good and bad,

God and evil, and they have known how the age

of which they could come to Christ and make that

decision to come to Christ, the Bible says they are safe,

not saved, but safe. In fact, the Bible says in

the book the Psalms, the Lord preserves the simple. Now,

you may have grown up in a religion that taught

unless the child is baptized before they die, they'll go

to hell. It's wrong. It is not in the Bible.

It is unscriptural, and it just is wrong. And the

Bible tells us very clearly that children who are not

old enough to make a wise decision, they have not

come to the age of accountability. They are not old

enough to understand. End that if they die before they understand,

before they have a chance to choose Christ, well they

certainly haven't rejected him because they haven't even chos him.

And they haven't they don't have enough knowledge to understand.

They go straight into the loving arms of Jesus. Every miscarriage,

every still birth, every abortion.

You know.

I actually I've had people tell me. You say, Rick,

why don't you why don't you talk about the babies

who are boreded more? Well, I tell you why, because

I'm interested in reaching the people who had the abortions,

because all those babies instantly go to heaven, but the

adults don't. And they need to understand the grace of

God and the forgiveness of God, and the and what

God has offered to us. We know this many times

in scripture. Here's an example. David had a child that

died at birth, and David said this in Second Sam.

Now that the baby is dead, I can't bring him

back to life, but someday I will go to be

with him. If you've had a miscarriage, that baby is

in heaven. If you've lost a young little one, that

child is in heaven. The Bible says they are safe.

The Lord preserves the simple. So the first thing we're

gonna have in heaven is we're gonna have a reunion

with these that we love in the family of God.

The second thing, we're gonna have rewards. Now, there's so

much material in this, I'm gonna have to come back

and teach an entire series just on the rewards in heaven.

You say, what are we going to be rewarded for.

Everything? Literally? Everything?

The Bible makes it very clear that God is watching

everything in your life. You will be rewarded for your

actions that we're good. You will be rewarded for your

words that were good. You will be rewarded for your

thoughts that were good. You will be rewarded for your

character and your decisions that were good. You will be

rewarded for your prayers. You will be rewarded for your generosity.

You will be rewarded for your service. You will be

rewarded for your sacrifices.

You will be.

Rewarded for your persistence in not giving up when you

felt like giving up, and doing the right thing. The

Bible says, you will be rewarded for loving your enemies

and over know every single thing. I wish you had

time to go into this and show you all of

the things that God says. You will be rewarded for

in heaven you will be rewarded for bringing other people

to Jesus Christ. I want you to have that reward.

Is anybody gonna be in heaven because of you? I

want you to have that reward that somebody's in heaven

because of you. The Bible says that you will be

rewarded for putting up with criticism, for being a Christian.

That you will be rewarded for being persecuted as a believer.

That's why Jesus said, blessed or you. When men shall

revile you and persecute you, and say all manner of

evil against you falsely for my sake, rejoice and be

exceeding glad, for great as your reward is in heaven,

for soaks persecuted day the prophets which were before you.

God says, I'm watching it all, and I'm going to

reward it all. Now, this has nothing to do with

your salvation. The only way you get into heaven is

by faith in what Jesus Christ has already done for you.

You can't get into heaven.

By your good works.

But the Bible says that when you're there, you will

be rewarded according to your good works.

Let me show you a.

Couple verses theres I could give you five hundred one

this if the Bible says, if you even give a

cup of cold water to one of the least of

my followers, you will surely be rewarded. I think about

all the rewards that all the volunteers in our children

ministry are going to get every time they change a diaper.

Why don't we just appreciate the children's ministry right now? Yeah,

every time they give a cup of cold water, a

Graham cracker, change a snotty nose, or blow a snotty

nose or whatever God says. I'm writing that one down.

I'm writing that one down. The Bible says this, look

on the screen. Love your enemies, do good to them,

lend to them, and don't be concerned that they might

not repay. I know this, then your reward in heaven

will be very great.

And here's the thing.

You got to decide where you want your rewards in life.

You want it in this life or do you want

it in the next. If you get your rewards in

this life, the popularity, the wealth, the fame, and all

that kind of stuff, and that's what you live for.

How long do you get to use it eighty years.

You build up treasure in heaven, rewards in heaven, how

long do you get to enjoy those rewards forever?

It's just a matter of perspective. Here.

There's more to life than here and now. And you've

got to decide whether you're going to live for here

and now and pleasure and popularity and principles and all

these things of possessions here on earth, power on earth,

or are you going to live in light of rewards

that you get to live in forever and ever. There

will be rewards in heaven. Third thing that's going to

be in heaven is responsibilities. You're not gonna sit around

on a cloud doing nothing in heaven. That's one of

the reasons why people don't like heaven. They think I'm

going to be so bored in heaven there will be

nothing to do. Are you kidding? God is the one

who wired you, He shaped you. He knows what you're

interested in. Where do you think you got your interest?

Where do you think you got your hobbies? Where do

you think you.

Got your skills and talents? And where do you think

your spiritual gift? Heart ability?

Person on experiences came from They came from God. And

you think He's only going to use your shape on earth. No,

he's going to use your shape in eternity. And when

you will have work in eternity, here's the difference. You're

gonna enjoy it. Here's the difference. There aren't gonna be

any heartaches with it. Here's the difference. You're gonna be

fulfilled one hundred percent. And your role and your responsibility,

the Bible says, in heaven will be meaningful, it will

be fulfilling, it will be enjoyable, and you're going to

enjoy doing it in eternity. Now, what is my responsibility

and what are my roles going to be in heaven?

I don't know, but I do know this.

It's based on how faithful you are with the roles

and responsibility he gives you on earth. The God is

watching you and he's testing you. Life is a test,

and life is a trust and life is a temporary assignment.

And God puts you on this earth for eighty years

to see how responsible, how dependable, how faithful, how trustworthy

are and what are they doing with what they've been given?

And if you do, you make the most of what

you've been given, God says, then I'm going to give

you more in heaven. And if you don't make the

most of what you've been given, God's going to say,

then you're going to get less. You make it, make

it into heaven by the skin of your teeth, but

you're not going to have the rewards as those who

faithfully serve God. Now I didn't say that, Jesus said it.

Look at this verse on the screen, Luke sixteen. Jesus said,

unless you're faithful in small matters talking about here on earth,

you won't be faithful in large ones. And if you

cheat in little things, you won't be honest with greater

responsibilities talking about in heaven. And if you are untrustworthy

with worldly wealth, in other words, the money, the possessions

that God gives you here on earth, who will trust

you with the true riches of heaven. Did you know

that the way you manage your money on this earth

is an acid test of your faithfulness and responsibility, and

it's going to help determine what you do in heaven.

Did you know that God is watching to see how

you not only manage your time, how you manage your relationship,

how you manage your health, how you manage your intelligence,

how you manage your network, how you manage your opportunities,

but how.

You manage your money.

All of a sudden, now money management becomes more than

just Oh, that'd be a nice thing to do so

I could get out of debt. God said, I'm watching

to see what can I trust you with when you

get to eternity. And if I can't trust you with

worldly wealth, you're always in debt. You can't afford to tithe,

you're not generous, God says, what do you think I'm

going to trust you with an eternity. That's why thirty

two years ago, I begin learning to be generous more

and more every year. You see, I've told you this

story before. But let's say if in December of this year,

the United States made a decision that we're no longer

going to accept dollar bills in America, We're switching to

Japanese yen, and after December, you can only buy things

and sell things in Japanese yen's dollars will be useless. Now,

if you knew that that transition was going to happen,

if you were a smart investor, you would really do

something right away. You would transfer as much of your wealth,

as much of your portfolio, as many of your possessions,

whatever money you had in the bank account or anything

you've got, you would switch as much of it as

you could into Yen immediately and only keep just enough

to make it through to December, because you're going. You know,

after December, everything I've gotten dollars is worthless. That's exactly

what God is saying about heaven. You can either store

it up here on earth, or you can store it

up in heaven.

And how do you store it up in heaven.

By investing it in people who are going there. And

that's why today, after thirty two years of marriage, can

I give away ninety percent and live on ten percent?

Why?

Because I have been storing up in heaven for years.

You're gonna have a little dinky cabin next to my mansion.

Just kidding, But the truth is, for thirty two years

of marriage, I have been putting it into my eternal

bank account, which by the way, gets a lot better

returns than the stock market. Because God says, whatever you

give up for me, I will restore one hundredfold. Do

you know what that says? That in the scriptures Jesus

said it. Do you know what one hundredfold is ten

thousand percent interest? Name me an investment that gives you

ten thousand percent interest.

I'm saying, be smart.

You need to decide where am I gonna invest my time?

Where am I gonna invest my life? Where am I

gonna invest my money? Because I'm either gonna get rewarded

here on earth I'm gonna get rewarded in heaven.

It's your choice, he said.

There's reunion, their rewards, their responsibilities. Life is a test,

it's preparation for eternity, and God is watching every single

decision you made to see if you're faithful, if you're trustworthy.

That was such an encouraging message from Pastor Rick. And

now to encourage us more, here's Rick with a letter

from one of our listeners.

Friends.

Today, I want to tell you about a guy named Chris.

I found out that he shares daily hope with his

family and his friends and his coworkers as often as

he can, and then he has seen a ripple effect

as they all shared daily hope with other people. Let

me read you a portion of what he wrote to me.

Pastor Rick, I first encountered daily Hope when a coworker

forwarded the daily devotional to me years ago. My friend

was sending the devotional each morning to an email list

of about fifty or twenty people. By the way, that's

a good idea for you to do too. And when

my friend retired from our company, he passed along the

email group list and I continue the tradition of sending

the devotionals each morning. That email group grew to about

thirty five or forty people.

Now.

I recently retired, so I passed the email group to

another coworker in order that they can continue the ministry.

Each morning, I wake up, Pastor Rick, and I come

to my quiet place just to listen and to journal

your messages for the day. Now, depending on what the

message is all about, I often forward it to many

individuals for them to enjoy or to ply it in

their own personal life and faith journey. My entire family

now listens to you and Daily Hope ministry, and it

spreads all over through them as they forward it to

people in their circles of influence. I can't thank you enough, Rick,

for all that you've done in my life and to

strengthen and grow my faith in Christ. Daily Hope without

a doubt has changed the way that I approach every

new day. You know, Chris, all I say is wow.

I love how you are exponentially sharing daily Hope with

your coworkers and with your family. You know, you're actually

an evangelist. You are partnering in God's eyes with me

to help spread the good news of the Gospel. And

the good news is too good to keep to ourselves.

We have to share it now. Anybody can do this.

Anybody can do this, and it's an easy way to

give other people hope through deepening their faith. So if

you don't know what to say, just forward on some

of the things you've heard me say, and God will

use you to make a difference in people's lives. You know,

if God is blessing you through Daily Hope, would you

share your story with me?

Write me rifat pastor rifk dot com.

Please join us next time as we look into God's

word for our daily hope. This program is sponsored by

Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.