Sermon Extras

SERMON NOTES

MEMENTO MORI : What Will We Do In Heaven?

Intro: Have you ever sat and thought about heaven? The eternity and finality of it? When I was a kid I used to sit and try to think about eternity and it used to almost give me anxiety. My grandfather in a loving way tried to ease that feeling for me… pizza. ‘That sounds worse.’

Common Thoughts on Heaven:

-Really boring

Hucklebrry Finn quote/ Mark Twain Quote (pic)

-Reuniting us with loved ones

-Retirement for hard workers

-Reward for good people

Can I submit to you this morning that the scriptures communicate to us that Heaven is SO MUCH MORE. That’s what we are going to unpack this morning in three things we’ll see in the text. 

What will we be doing in heaven? For those of us that love Christ, don’t taste the sting of death and dwell with Him for eternity, what will we be doing?

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1) We will Behold the beauty and glory of the Triune God. v1-3

notice John’s attention. In the first two verses we see the word Behold used twice. “Look!”

What does John see?

a) an open door v1a  (John 10:7) “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

b) a voice saying ‘come here, I will show you…’v1a (Matthew 11:28) “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest…”

c) awareness of being ‘In the Spirit’ v2

d) a throne and someone on it (used 12xs) 

e) lighting and thunder v5 (Exodus 19:16) “On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.”

Did John ‘see’ God? I don’t know. What matters is John’s description of the captivating environment of the Trinity in the throne room and what is taking place. The fulness of God, all in one place.

-Our Focus will be on God, not us.

-It will be the most amazing thing we’ll ever see.

APP> We are invited to see this now.

Psalm 19:1 “The heaven’s declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

Hebrews 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature!”

1 Cor 2:9 “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (Isaiah 64: No eye has seen a God besides you who acts for those who wait for Him.”

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2) We will Be with the people of God. v4

There are many commentators who argue whether or not these ‘elders’ are angels or some other being… They represent the people of God. 

“clothed in white garments, with golden downs on their heads.”

Revelation 3:5 “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life.”

1 Peter 5:4 “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

We will be with those who have gone to be with Jesus! We WILL see loved ones again. We WILL be with those we gathered and worshiped with here on earth. 

(Spurgeon Quote) 

We will be perfectly unified.

We will be in perfect unity, just as Jesus prayed for us, on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.

APP> Unity now prepares us for eternity.

John 17:20-23 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one…”

Am I pursuing unity now?

…What were the people of God/all the host of heaven doing together?

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3) We will Bring our worship to God.v6b-11

We will bow together v10

We will sing together v11

We will remember what God has done v11

We will work Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

We will create Genesis 2:20 “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field.” 

All to the glory and honor of God

APP>

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Conclusion:

Charles Spurgeon in a sermon on Heaven said these words…

I want to encourage you, you will be securely freed to do all these things. 

Revelation 21:1-5 says

In heaven, we are free from the former things and free’d to the new things God is doing for all eternity with Him.

APP> Is Jesus my greatest hope of heaven?

BIG IDEA>>  Eternally worshiping and enjoying God starts now.

Rev 22:1-3