Category: Heaven
Subject: Heaven
Bound by Time
Man is a creature bound by time. His entire existence is measured by date and duration. Nine months in the womb. The first birthday. Becoming a teenager. Sweet sixteen. High School, then college graduation. Marriage, children, anniversaries, retirement, death. We celebrate the various milestones in our lives. Figures such as 1, 16, 18, 21, 40, 50, 65, 80, 90, 100 all bring immediate and sometimes visceral memories and emotions.
Sermon: Inheriting the Promises
The promises of God are wonderful and bountiful, but they are also conditional. the ultimate promise is that of heaven. May we have the patience and faith to receive it.
Sermon: The Hope of Heaven
Sermon by Josh Cox.
Josh discusses the hope that we have as Christians for an eternity in heaven.
Sermon: Our Reward for Standing
Numerous passages in both the Old and New Testaments establish for us the rewards we will receive for our faithfulness in standing with God.
Sermon: Our God is Able
The sermon begins in Daniel 3, and demonstrates that Our God is able to:
- Give and sustain life
- Save our souls
- Deliver us
- Reward us
- Punish the disobedient
Invitation: Seeing the Invisible
Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox
When we look for the invisible rather than the visible, it gives us the ability to handle the despair and pressures of this life. “Our light affliction” is “but for a moment.”
From the Preacher’s Pen: A Lasting Heritage
In my reading this week, I came across the account of James’ martyrdom at the hands of King Herod (cf. Acts 12:1-2). I was struck with the concise, matter-of-fact description of that tragedy, recorded by the Holy Spirit through Luke’s pen. “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.”
As an apostle, James was one of the most important men of the first century. And yet, little is known of his life, character, and even his death. In our day, such an influential man would be profiled, biographied, eulogized and even idolized. His death would be portrayed as a tragedy of immense proportions. There is a lesson here for us. While men are focused on this life, the Holy Spirit is concerned with the life to come.
In His ministry, Jesus promised his disciples, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). While time may have obscured the influence and accomplishments of James while he lived on this earth, his faithfulness to His Lord secured for him a far greater and more lasting heritage. Because of his faith, he secured a mansion, (cf. John 14:1-3).
We too should live our lives for the eternal goal of a home with God in heaven. Living in such a way may not secure for us any lasting notoriety, but that is no great loss. What it will do is attract the attention of our Lord. May He say to us all, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:23).
Invitation: We Shall Stand Before the Throne
Invitation delivered by: Ben Schmidt
Ben read from Matthew 25, Mark 9 and Revelation 20 to show the difference between everlasting destruction, and everlasting reward. He made the point that our obedience, or lack thereof will determine whether our names are written in the book of life, as he called for needed repentance and obedience to the gospel.
Sermon: The Promise of Heaven
The scriptures describe heaven (among other things) as a habitation, a homeland, an inheritance, a rest and a crown. Each of these descriptive terms reveal wonderful aspects of our eternal reward.
Sermon: The Throne Room of God
Lesson 1 of 8 in a series on Awesome Texts.
Revelation 4 and 5 reveals a vision of John, where he describes the throne room of God. The text reveals a most important point. God is the center of the universe, and all of creation exists to offer up praise to Him, and the Lamb of God.
Invitation: Being in Christ
Invitation delivered by: Josh Jackson
In this talk, Josh describes the hope, peace and promises that are ours when we are in Christ, and work to add the fruit of the Spirit to our lives (cf. Galatians 5).
Sermon: The Path of All Men
The sermon follows the path of all men, from birth to death to eternity, in chart form.
Note: In addition to the audio link, there is a link to a zip file which extracts to a self-contained Prezi presentation. Also, there is a link to a handout that was included in the sermon as a hardcopy reminder of the material.
Invitation: A Going Home Celebration
Invitation delivered by: Darren Johnson
Darren discusses the fact that Christians should consider heaven to be our home, and celebrate the hope we have after this life is over.
Audio: Click Here .
Heaven is a Wonderful Place
“We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel” (Colossians 1:3-5).
The Bible often refers to heaven as the final abode of the righteous. Those familiar with the Christian faith understand, of course, that it is intended as a reward for the faithful — a good thing. But, what does the Bible reveal heaven to be?
First, the definition of the term. The word heaven comes from a root word that means “to rise, rear up.” It is used to reference the sky, and by extension, the abode of God. The term implies, as it is used in scripture, happiness, power and eternity.
