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Stephen Ministry

(Opening with scene from Field of Dreams) One of my favorite movies—and not just because it’s about baseball! It’s also about redemption, and second chances, and the relationships of fathers and sons—great topics all! In the midst of all that, the question, "Is this heaven?" Which is our topic for the next five weeks. What can we say about heaven? What can we know about heaven? The concept of heaven is foundational to Christian faith, yet it is a topic seldom discussed at any length or in any detail. For example, the lead-in to this cover story from Time magazine, the March 24, 1997 edition, entitled Does Heaven Exist? are these words: It used to be that the hereafter was virtually palpable, but American religion now seems almost allergic to imagining it. Is paradise lost? It could rightly be said that the most the "hereafter" is mentioned anymore is in the joke—"I certainly believe in the hereafter. Many times I find myself getting up, going to another room to get something and when I get there suddenly wondering what am I hereafter?" Randy Alcorn, in his book simply titled Heaven points out that even some of the greatest theologians had little, if anything, to say about heaven. For instance, John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion encourages meditation on heaven but has very little else to say about it. Reinhold Niebuhr, in his classic work The Nature and Destiny of Man does not even mention heaven. The Nature and Destiny of Man…yet no mention of heaven! Heaven appears to be a topic, though foundational to our faith, one about which little can be said. Consequently, we are left to vague, incomplete and inadequate images of heaven upon which to meditate. Gary Larson, the Far Side cartoonist, expressed the problem this way:

Is that the best we can imagine about heaven?

I have to admit to my own poverty of experience with this topic—which is symptomatic of the problem we face in Christianity today on the topic of heaven. In my pre-seminary days in the Christian faith, I cannot recall a single time where I participated in a class or even an in-depth conversation about heaven—and I participated in a lot of classes and conversations about Christian faith! I cannot recall at seminary one class, even one day’s worth of teaching in a class, or any in-depth conversation outside of the classroom on the topic of heaven—and I participated in a lot of classes and conversations! And, to be honest about it, since graduating from seminary and being ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament, I cannot recall teaching a class, focusing in a sermon, or having an in-depth conversation with someone on the topic of heaven—and I’ve taught a lot of classes, preached a lot of sermons and participated in a lot of conversations about matters of Christian faith! My experience is not unique. Rather, it is the norm. No wonder there is a general poverty of experience on the topic of heaven. Generally, at best, the topic is briefly referred to in funerals and with someone going through a serious illness and contemplating their mortality. Is that the best we can do on the topic of heaven?

I was prodded to do more about this topic through the introduction by one of our members to Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven. She had participated in a small group study on the book, found it interesting and challenging, and asked me if I had read the book. I hadn’t, but the topic and her description of her experience in the group intrigued me…and has led to this sermon series. I enter into it humbly. There are many challenges in addressing this topic. However, I truly believe that in addressing the topic we can experience a new excitement about this foundational topic in our faith, a new excitement in general about our faith, and a greater joy, meaning and purpose to our lives on earth. Thus, this series. I sincerely ask for your prayers as we address this topic—your prayers for me and for those who will wrestle with this topic and prayers for yourself as you also wrestle with this topic. I believe God is pleased and honored when we explore, struggle with, contemplate the essential tenets of Christian faith. So please come with me to this topic saturated in prayer.

Part of the challenge with the topic of heaven and, therefore, an important reason for prayer in addressing it, is that the topic is necessarily guided by Scripture…for that is the source we have for the topic of heaven. If not supported by Scripture, one’s musings about heaven are merely that…musings, and of little value in contributing to the topic. Scripture must be, and will be, our guide through this sermon series. Yet there are some inherent challenges in that. One’s view of Scripture will color the way one sees this topic. If one’s view of Scripture is weak, that it is interesting material written by humans over a particular period of time, but is not the word of God, then that person will be naturally skeptical of what Scripture has to say about heaven. If you believe Scripture to be the word of God, inspired through and written down by human beings over a particular period of time, then that person will hold Scripture to be the primary source and guide on the topic of heaven. I openly admit to holding to the latter position. Having said that, I also admit to another challenge within Scripture as the very word of God—and that is that everyone within that school of thought would admit that some of Scripture is allegorical—a symbolic picture of something and not a literal one. This may be no more true than in the book of Revelation, the book in which we get most of our images and ideas about heaven. Some of it is allegory. Some of it is literal. Determining what is allegorical and what is literal is up for discussion. And so we will struggle with and at points disagree with one another about what is allegory and what is literal. Nonetheless, God gives us those words and images to tell us something about heaven—and we will seek together to understand what inferences we might draw from them whether we think them literal or allegorical.

And, finally, as introduction (before even getting to the Scripture reading for today!) let me say something about those who might say, based on 1Corinthians 2:9, that heaven is a topic we cannot know anything about and, therefore, shouldn’t even venture (Alcorn addresses this in his book). 1 Corinthians 2:9 (Paul is referencing Isaiah 64:4) says, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." So, the argument goes, we cannot know or say anything about heaven with any confidence or credibility. Consequently, attempting it is fruitless. (This attitude may well be the reason for our poverty of experience with the topic of heaven) However, as Randy Alcorn correctly points out, 1 Corinthians 2:9 is an incomplete sentence. The completion of the sentence is in verse 10, "but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit." God’s Spirit is active and alive in us today. We cannot come to faith in Jesus Christ without the Holy Spirit, we cannot come to understand anything about God’s Law and our responsible actions to God’s Law without the Holy Spirit—part of the context of 1 Corinthians 2:9, 10. So, I believe we can pursue the topic of heaven, praying continually for wisdom and understanding from God’s Holy Spirit. So, we move forward in that Spirit—no pun intended!

A Scripture passage central to this topic and one to which we will return throughout this series is John 14:1-6. No doubt most of you are familiar with it. (Read John 14:1-6)

In closing this very introductory sermon on the topic of heaven, let me say a few foundational things this passage leads us to believe.

First, heaven is a "place." It is not some ethereal concept, without material substance. We will have much, much more to say about this topic, but heaven is a physical place to which Jesus has gone to prepare for his followers and with whom he will be at the moment of their death. Again, we will have much, much more to say about that, but heaven is a place of material substance and not some airy, floating space.

The second thing this passage leads us to believe is something that is not politically correct to say today. And it is something that has been misused and abused in many ways, which is one reason that it has become politically incorrect to say. But it is what God’s word leads us to believe. The NFL football playoffs have begun (that is not the politically incorrect statement!). What sportscasters say about the playoffs as they begin is this, "The road to the Super Bowl goes through Indianapolis and New Orleans." What they mean is that the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints hold the home field advantage. To get to the Super Bowl, someone is going to have to defeat the Colts or the Saints on their home turf. Both the Colts and the Saints won yesterday, so the road to the Super Bowl continues to go through Indianapolis and New Orleans. Whoever wins today will have to go there and win to make it to the Super Bowl. John 14:6, and many other Scripture passages, lead us to believe and proclaim this (here comes the politically incorrect statement!), the road to heaven goes through Jesus Christ. In today’s society, that is politically incorrect to say. The politically correct thing to say is that all sincere efforts to know and reach God are equally valid. However, I humbly suggest to you there are at least two problems in saying that…and I mean it when I say humbly.

First of all, that is not the clear teaching of Scripture. The clear teaching of Scripture is that the road to heaven goes through Jesus Christ. "I am the way and the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me." Clearly stated here, and supported elsewhere in Scripture, the road to heaven goes through Jesus Christ. We will explore that more in this series.

A second problem with saying that all sincere efforts to know and reach God are equally valid is that it negates the event of the cross. To put it more brazenly, if that is true—all sincere efforts to know and reach God are equally valid—then Christ was a fool to go to the cross…because he didn’t need to. If all sincere efforts to reach God and, consequently, heaven, then why experience the excruciating agony of crucifixion when it’s not necessary? Just point people to sincere efforts and let it go at that.

But, the cross was necessary. And so, politically correct or not, the road to heaven goes through Jesus Christ and his crucifixion and resurrection. We will have much more to say about that throughout this series.

Before concluding for today, one caution in making that politically incorrect statement. One major reason it has become politically incorrect, as I said earlier, is that it has been misused and abused. So let me add to that statement this admonition: Jesus Christ is also the Judge. I am not the judge. You are not the judge. No one, but Jesus is the Judge. My task is not to point a finger of condemnation at someone and declare "you’re not going to heaven!" My task is to point people to the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s be clear about that…and that is also something we’ll have more to say about in this series. It is a grace and truth issue.

The truth is—the road to heaven goes through Jesus Christ. The grace is—I lovingly, and not condemningly, proclaim that truth and seek, through my words and my deeds, to lead people to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus Christ.

Whew! How’s that for starters? There’s much more to come to stimulate your thinking about heaven—topics like two heavens and two resurrections. But that’s for later. I encourage you to join in the discussion groups taking place each Sunday morning in this series at 9:00 in Charter Hall. There is much food for thought and fodder for discussion in this topic. So, hang in there as we explore the topic of heaven.

Finally, I would be remiss in this topic if I didn’t conclude with an encouragement to you, if you haven’t done so already, to commit your life to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Faith in Jesus Christ as Savior brings assurance of our future regarding heaven. The road to heaven goes through Jesus Christ…and he went to the cross and rose from the dead so that you might know, with absolute assurance, that the way to heaven and the Father has been opened through faith in Jesus Christ. It is a gift from God, but like all gifts, it must be opened to be of use to us. You have the opportunity to open that gift and have assurance about your future by praying to receive Christ as your Savior today. The prayer is a simple one, yet very profound.

1) Pray admitting the wrongs you’ve done in life;

2) express your acknowledgment that you need a Savior;

3) acknowledge the saving act of Jesus Christ on the cross;

4) accept his saving act for you and give thanks to God for this gift.

Let us pray.