After Life - Adult SS - Lesson 1: Heaven

There we go. So look how the confession summarises the journey of a soul.

! The bodies of men and women, after death, return to dust and see corruption.

! But their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, an immortal existence,

immediately return to God who gave them.

The souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness,

are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light and glory,

waiting for the full redemption of their bodies.

Today, I want us to see why this is true.

I want us to have the assurance and the confidence and the comfort,

knowing that what the confession just said here, that this is what happens to a believer's soul after death.

And so the first thing we need to see is this, and the first point today, there is a heaven.

There is a heaven.

We often just kind of know and we just say that when a believer dies, they go to heaven.

That's kind of our instinct to say that.

So ask someone even on the street that's not in church today, ask them what happens after death.

And the word heaven will probably be mentioned somewhere in there.

And the confession says it too, doesn't it?

The souls of the righteous are received into the highest heavens.

But what is that?

What is heaven?

Well, firstly, heaven is in creation.

Heaven is in creation.

How does the Bible begin?

What's the first verse of the Bible?

Genesis 1.1.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

First there was nothing.

Then out of nothing, God made all creation.

So, this is why I'm so excited.

I can do this.

Here we go.

There we go.

Thank you, Chris Kitchen, for driving to pick this up.

There we go.

Okay.

So, first there was only God, no creation.

Then out of nothing, Genesis 1.1, he created all things, the heavens and the earth.

So, God created all things.

This is all things.

Anything that is not God himself is in this circle, right?

All things.

Creation.

And in that creation, there are two realms.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Now, heavens can have three meanings in the Bible.

The word heaven can have three meanings in the Bible.

First, heaven can mean the sky, the clouds, the earth's atmosphere.

So, Isaiah 55.

The rain and the snow come down from heaven.

Okay.

It's the sky.

Or heaven can mean space, kind of like stars and the sun, moon, galaxies.

So, Genesis 1.14, let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens.

And then God created those lights, the sun, moon, and stars.

Or, heaven can mean something not in this visible universe.

So, you have the highest heaven.

That's 2 Chronicles 2.

You have the heaven of heavens in Deuteronomy.

It is a heaven outside and beyond these other two heavens.

That's why Paul calls it, in 2 Corinthians, he calls it the third heaven.

When he's taken up into the third heaven, he's talking about heaven.

So, you have the first heaven sky, the second heaven space.

And then, kind of beyond that, not just kind of above that, but kind of beyond that,

you have a special location called heaven, the heavens of heaven, the heaven of heavens.

And so, when God made all creation, the heavens and the earth,

he made the visible universe with those two heavens.

And he also made a special location in creation, a place called heaven.

So, this is all things, all creation.

You have the universe here.

That's what we can see.

That's what we live in.

But you also have a location called heaven.

And it's not part of this visible universe.

It's outside, beyond it.

And so, you can't physically travel there by a spaceship.

But it is real.

It is a location.

And so, without our minds going too sci-fi,

so don't load this too much in your mind with sci-fi things,

but heaven is a different dimension of creation.

It's a different realm of creation.

But what is heaven?

Well, heaven is God's home.

It's my next sub-point.

Heaven is God's home.

Heaven is a place where God specially dwells.

He's specially present in heaven.

So, look at 1 Kings 8.

Listen in heaven, your dwelling place, God.

And Isaiah 63.

Look down from heaven and see from your holy and beautiful habitation.

Heaven is always described as God's home.

That's why we pray our Father in heaven.

Now, that doesn't mean that God is only locked up in heaven.

Look at 1 Kings 8.

I've got it there for you.

Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you.

God exists outside of creation.

He exists everywhere in creation.

So, Psalm 139 says, where can I run from you, God?

But God has a special intensified presence in heaven.

It's his home.

Which is just like the tabernacle and the temple in the Old Testament.

So, God is everywhere, isn't he?

At all times.

But he specially dwelt in an intensified way in the temple, in the Holy of Holies particularly.

There was a location on earth where there was an intensified holiness and majesty and glory of God.

Where you could particularly and more directly come into God's presence.

And it was even dangerous to enter the temple, do you remember?

Because his glory was so present there.

Well, that is just like heaven.

It's where God specially dwells.

God's temple.

Which is why heaven is also called God's temple.

That's my third sub-point, C.

Heaven is God's temple.

So, look at Hebrews 8.

I've got it written there for you.

Look how Hebrews talks of heaven where Christ has gone to be our high priest.

It says, Christ is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven.

Heaven is the true temple.

A minister in the holy places.

In the true tent that the Lord set up.

Not man.

Heaven is the true holy of holies.

The true temple where God dwells.

Specially dwells in creation.

And the earthly temple and the tabernacle that we read in the Old Testament.

That's just a reflection, a miniature version of the true heaven temple.

It's where God's glory is directly revealed in creation.

So, where do you go to to experience the full weight and brightness of God's majesty and glory?

You go to heaven.

It's the ultimate temple.

And what happens in temples?

Worship.

Which is why heaven is a place where angels dwell and worship God.

So, look at Nehemiah 9.

You are the Lord.

You alone.

You made heaven.

The heaven of heavens.

With all their host.

That's referring to the angels.

Armies of angels.

Host means armies.

And you made the earth and all that is on it.

The seas and all that is in them.

And you preserve all of them.

And the host of heaven worships you.

And in Revelation 4, we get a glimpse into heaven.

Into God's intense presence.

And we see angelic beings worshipping God.

And they cry out,

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.

And so, when God created the heavens and the earth,

He created a special place full of armies of angels.

And since the beginning of time,

they have been worshipping and praising the triune God

in His intensified presence.

And this place is perfect.

The Bible never mentions any stain of sin

or any evil or any suffering in heaven.

There's never any mention of it.

Because there's nothing in heaven to diminish God's glory.

And it's from heaven that God rules creation.

Heaven is His home, but it's also His throne room.

So, this is my next sub-point.

Heaven is God's throne room.

So, look at Psalm 103.

The Lord has established His throne in the heavens.

And His kingdom rules over all.

Isaiah 66.

Heaven is my throne.

And the earth is my footstool.

Heaven is where God's glory and His power

is concentrated.

And it's from heaven, from there,

that He rules the rest of creation.

Which is why, when Jesus is given all authority

in heaven and on earth,

that's why He then ascends to heaven.

So, Paul preached that in Acts 1 a few weeks ago, didn't he?

He said, Jesus went to heaven to be enthroned

and to rule over everything.

And that's what Hebrews 8 says.

If you look back to Hebrews 8,

Jesus is seated at the right hand of the throne

of the majesty in heaven.

Sat just means enthroned.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

in the flesh, in His glorified body,

He is enthroned, along with the Father,

ruling over creation together,

being worshipped by angels in all His glory.

A Scottish theologian called John Duncan,

he put it well, he said this,

the dust of the earth,

now sits on the throne of the universe.

And so heaven is where Jesus is now.

It's a location,

because Jesus is physically there,

Jesus still has a body,

and that's where He is.

But heaven, it's not in the visible universe.

It's another realm, a spiritual realm.

And you can't fly there,

but you can go there.

God can take you there.

And the Bible tells us it's here in heaven

that believers go when they die.

And this is my second big point today.

After death, believers go to heaven.

It's important to see that after death,

there is an afterlife.

And just to say,

I'm going to stop for questions at the end.

So, if you've got any questions,

write them down,

and then we'll stop at the end.

So it's important to see that after death,

there is an afterlife.

There is an existence immediately after death,

and before the resurrection.

So let's remind ourselves of this.

This timeline.

This timeline will make sense as the weeks go on.

But here we are.

The point of death,

something happens.

That there is an existence.

That there is an intermediate state.

That's what we often call it.

Line that up.

And for the believer,

what happens to us?

We go to be with Christ.

So look what Jesus,

do you remember what Jesus says to the thief on the cross

as they're both dying?

Wonderful words.

Luke 23.

Truly I say to you,

today you will be with me in paradise.

And think of Stephen before he dies.

In Acts 7.

He cries out,

Lord Jesus,

receive my spirit.

At the point of death,

believers go to be with Christ.

And where is Christ?

In heaven.

Our bodies stay here on earth.

Our souls are separated from them.

And our souls go to be in that heavenly realm.

And that's why we often say,

when a Christian has died,

we might say,

that brother,

that sister,

she's gone to glory.

Heaven is the place of God's glory.

And we go there to be with Christ.

And believers in the Old Testament,

they knew this too.

They didn't have as clear a grasp on it

as we do in the New Testament.

It's kind of in,

it's a little bit out of focus in the Old Testament,

but it's there.

This belief didn't just appear in the New Testament.

Look at Psalm 73.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterwards you will receive me to your glory.

Or Ecclesiastes 12.

The dust returns to the earth as it was,

but the spirit returns to God who gave it.

And who goes to heaven after death?

Everyone who is in Christ.

We are so united to Christ

that we will always be with him.

Nothing can separate you from Christ

so that in death you will,

you must go to Christ.

And this is the greatest thing about heaven.

It's the greatest joy and the greatest comfort.

Just look how positively Paul talks about

death for the Christian.

Philippians 1.

For to me, to live is Christ,

and to die is gain.

If I'm to live in the flesh,

that means fruitful labour for me.

Yes, I can do good things while I'm alive in this body.

Yet which shall I choose?

I cannot tell.

I'm hard pressed between the two,

between living and dying.

My desire is to depart and be with Christ,

for that is far better.

When we die,

Christ in his glorified body,

he will welcome us into heaven.

And we will see him.

We will actually be with him.

And it will be a positive,

conscious experience.

Now, we won't have bodies, remember.

We will be spirits.

And so we don't know what this will look like

or how it will work.

But we will be conscious.

We will be aware.

And somehow we will be able to see

and interact in heaven.

And it will be us.

It will be consciously us in soul form

with Christ,

joining with the angels,

worshipping him.

And so two things to note here.

Death is not deletion.

Death is not being deleted.

We are not just atoms

that, you know, when we die,

we just kind of experience nothing

at the point of death.

It's kind of like,

it's not like, you know,

the TV turns off

and it's just nothing,

not even static.

No, it's not like our experience

just gets deleted

and we finish.

No, we are bodies and souls.

And our souls continue to live.

They can never be deleted.

Souls are immortal

in the sense of once they're created,

they always exist.

There is an existence after death.

And that goes for the non-Christian too.

And we'll see that in a few weeks.

So that's the first thing.

Death is not deletion,

but also death is not soul sleep.

Death is not just kind of

an unconscious sleep period

where we kind of shut our eyes

and then time goes really fast,

a bit like when you're sleeping.

And then before we know it,

we open our eyes

and then it's the resurrection.

It's not kind of like death

and then we're just sleeping.

Oh, didn't even realise,

boom, it's the resurrection.

It's not that.

No, that there is a conscious

intermediate state

between the two.

And for the Christian,

this state

will be a conscious,

joyous experience

with Christ in heaven.

It will be rest.

And this is the next thing

I want us to see.

I want us to see what heaven is like.

What is heaven like?

Heaven is rest.

Look what believers experience in heaven.

Revelation 14.

Blessed are the dead

who die in the Lord from now on.

Blessed indeed,

says the Spirit,

that they may rest

from their labours

for their deeds follow them.

we experience rest in heaven.

It is rest from pain

and disease

and cancer

and suffering

and trials

and persecution

and anxiety.

it is true

peaceful rest.

And it's even rest

from our own sin

because look what our souls

are like in heaven.

Look at Hebrews 12.

The spirits

of the righteous

are made perfect.

In Hebrews 12,

it's talking about

the heavenly Jerusalem here,

the spirits in heaven.

The spirits of the righteous

are made perfect.

death is the moment

that sin is stripped

from us.

It's the moment

that pull of temptation

that we feel every day,

it's the moment

that that temptation goes.

We stop being sinners

in heaven

because no sin is allowed.

it's too glorious

in heaven.

But,

but,

heaven

won't feel

like this

weird

foreign place

to us.

I think sometimes

we can feel that

about this

this glorious place

that we can't even

really picture

but we know

that there's worship

and angels

and God's presence.

We can know

it's glorious

but sometimes

our instinct

is to think

that it's kind of

a weird foreign place

to us.

A bit like

you know,

if you walk

into a cathedral

like you know

that wow

this is glorious

but also

you can feel

a bit awkward

in it.

Maybe a bit

uncomfortable,

a bit nervous.

But no,

heaven will feel

like home.

Look at 2 Corinthians 5.

Yes,

we are of good courage

and we would rather

be away from the body

that means death,

being separated

from the body

and death

and be at home

with the Lord.

You know

when you've been

on a long journey,

maybe you've been

travelling for work,

maybe you've done

D of E,

a big expedition,

and it's been tiring

and traumatic

and you're just spent,

you are just wiped

out by the end of it.

But after that long journey,

finally,

you get to your front door,

you open it up

and you go into your house

and you just feel like,

oh,

I'm home.

And everything feels right,

doesn't it?

Well,

when we get to heaven

and we get to be with Christ,

it will be a feeling of,

oh,

I'm home.

the Christian has escaped

the pains of this pilgrimage,

this journey on earth

and we get to just enjoy Christ.

And that is why

the Christians in heaven

are sometimes referred to as

the church triumphant.

Have you ever heard that?

And the church on earth below

is sometimes called

the church militant.

And that's because

here on earth,

we are still fighting.

We're fighting against the world

and the flesh

and the devil.

We're not at rest

in this world,

are we?

We have peace with God,

our sins are forgiven,

but we're not at rest.

But the church in heaven,

Christians in heaven,

the church in heaven

has made it

to the end

of this earthly journey

and they have triumphed

in their fight.

And that's why

they're called

the church triumphant.

So actually,

you can think of it like this.

So this timeline

still keeps going,

but there are still,

there's still the church

on earth,

the church militant.

And in heaven,

it's the church

triumphant.

And this means

something amazing

for us now.

All this means

that heaven

is a real comfort

for us now.

And this is my

second sub-point,

heaven is our comfort now.

death is now.

If you are in Christ,

death is now

completely transformed

for you.

Death is not

an unknown

for us.

Death is not

a scary experience

stepping into darkness.

Death is not punishment.

No,

death is coming home.

we go to be

welcomed,

actually welcomed

by Christ.

Heaven is

far better.

To be with Christ

is far better

than even

your best memory

here on earth.

Death is to gain

everything.

Peter Pan,

the great theologian,

he said it best.

To die

would be

an awfully

big adventure.

That lost boy

has nailed it.

To be with

Christ in glory,

that is

an adventure.

And so,

we can have

immense

and real

comfort

knowing that

there are

loved ones

who die

in Christ,

they are

with Christ

in heaven.

We don't need

to worry

about them.

We don't need

to be scared

because where

are they

right now?

They are

at rest

with no pain,

no sadness,

joyfully

in the presence

of Christ,

worshipping him,

seeing his glory.

And he is

looking after them

better than we

ever could

here on earth.

Now,

at this point,

I want us to

address a really

important question.

What about

our children?

What about

infant children

of believers

who died

maybe before

they could talk

or maybe

before we think

that they could

understand the

gospel?

Or maybe

if they were

still in the

womb,

what about

them?

Well,

I want us

to just

look how

King David

responds

when his

young son

dies

to Samuel

12.

But now

he is dead.

Why should I

fast?

Can I bring

him back

again?

I shall

go to him.

He will not

return to me.

Then David

comforted his

wife.

David knows

he is sure

that after

death he

himself will

go to

glory and

he knows

that he

will see

his son

there again

in the

glory of

heaven.

And that

is a reality

that comforts

him and his

wife.

But why

does David

have that

assurance?

Well,

let's ask

ourselves,

who is

the promise

of heaven

for?

The promise

of the

covenant

and salvation

and heaven,

who is that

promise for?

Well,

we need to

really remember

these words.

Take the

words of

Acts 2

in.

For the

promise is

for you

and for

your children.

the promise

of heaven

is for

our

children.

How does

God view

the children

of believers?

Whether that's

one parent

is a believer

or both

parents.

Well,

Paul calls

them holy.

Our

children are

holy,

they are set

apart by

God.

They belong

in the

covenant of

grace.

And so

to them

belongs

the promise

of heaven.

And so

our default

position

when thinking

about our

children is

not to

worry

if they

were saved.

But actually

our default

position

should always

be to be

assured that

they are.

The

Canons of

Dort,

which is a

bit like

the Westminster

Confession of

Faith,

it says it

really well.

Canons of

Dort 1.7

says this.

Since we

are to

judge of

the will

of God

from his

words,

which testifies

that the

children of

believers are

holy,

not by

nature,

not because

they're

sinless,

but in

virtue of

the covenant

of grace,

because of

the promises

God has

made them,

in which

they,

together with

their parents,

are comprehended,

they're all in

the covenant

of grace.

because of

that,

godly parents

have no

reason to

doubt of

the election

and salvation

of their

children,

whom it

pleases God

to call out

of this

life in

their infancy.

this is the

comfort we

have.

Our

children belong

to Christ.

For us

and for

them,

Christ has

prepared a

place in

heaven.

and so

when they

die,

they do

go to

be with

him.

Christ

welcomes

them,

and so

we have

no reason

to doubt

the salvation

of our

children,

that there's

nothing to

worry about,

that they

are cared

for and

happy and

they are

safe with

their

saviour in

heaven.

And that

goes for

everyone in

Christ.

we cannot

be separated

from him.

We are

going to

heaven when

we die.

And so

for us,

to die,

it's to

gain

everything.

But it's

not the

end.

Heaven is

rest, it's

true,

peaceful

rest, but

it's not

final rest.

The souls

in heaven

still need

to be

reunited with

their bodies

here on

earth.

And so

the end

is not

heaven,

the end

is

resurrection.

And we're

going to

see that

next week.

I'll stop

there, we

can ask

some questions.

We might

need to

stop a

little bit

early because

it's

Remembrance

Sunday.

Oh no, we're

doing well

for time.

Yeah, we've

got time

for questions.